Fiona Reid

Katherine Holden

This is an innovative and wide-ranging edited collection which brings women clearly into view, reflecting their disproportionately high numbers within migrating populations. Spanning four centuries, its contents are culturally diverse but address some important common themes and questions. Beginning with a useful survey of women in migration studies in early modern Europe, subsequent chapters explore the following topics: the exile experiences in Europe, firstly of English Brigittine nuns, and secondly of Catholic Gentlewomen displaced by the English Reformation; the dual national identities of a French woman moving to America during the revolutionary period; the lives of two women preachers moving to an American city with a large migrant population in the mid 20th century; and finally, autobiographical narratives of Islamic women exiled in body and/or mind from their countries of origin in the late twentieth century. The authors and editors consider the significance of spirituality amongst women migrants, address the difficulties of generalising from individual experiences and consider issues raised by a particular focus on elite women. The focus on personal narratives crosses disciplinary boundaries making it a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in migration history, autobiography, personal narratives, social history and gender and women’s studies.

Refugees, Migration and Exile

Women on the Move

From the popular Mary Poppins to the controversial Supernanny, the history of the British Nanny is revealed through fascinating personal stories Not quite part of the family and definitely an employee; idealized or demonized, the nanny has had a difficult role in family life over the past 200 years. Any discussion of nannies arouses strong emotions in those who have employed them, and a sometimes shocking range of experiences for the nannies themselves. One of the UK's most famous prime ministers rarely saw his mother and was brought up by his nanny, keeping her portrait by his bedside till he died. This book weaves personal stories into the fascinating cultural history of the iconic British nanny. Katherine Holden goes beyond the myths to discover where our tradition of nannies came from and to explore the ways in which it has changed (or not) over the past century. From the Norland Nannies "method" and Mary Poppins' firm but fair approach to the terrifying breach of trust in Bette Davis' The Nanny and the more recent The Hand that Rocks the Cradle to modern-day child-tamer Supernanny, our culture has alternately welcomed and rejected this approach to child-care.

The History of the British Nanny

Nanny Knows Best

The Shadow of Marriage examines the boundaries of the nuclear family in the mid-20th century. It highlights the high level of involvement in children's care by unmarried women and the largely invisible relationships between children and unmarried men. It examines men and women who never married between 1914 and 1960, drawing upon a wide range of sources including biographies, oral histories, novels, films, government statistics, and social surveys. The book discusses the significance of age, generation, gender in work and non-familial lifestyles, and unmarried men and women's intimate, sexual, familial, and professional relationships. As the first major study of the history of single people in England, this will be a valuable resource for researchers and students in social history, gender studies, women's studies, social policy, and sociology.

Katherine Holden

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