Cherokee Women: Gender and Culture Change, 1700-1835 (Indians of the Southeast) - Hardcover

Perdue, Theda

3.88

314 ratings by Goodreads

9780803237162: Cherokee Women: Gender and Culture Change, 1700-1835 (Indians of the Southeast)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803237162 ISBN 13: 9780803237162

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 1998

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Theda Perdue examines the roles and responsibilities of Cherokee women during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a time of intense cultural change. While building on the research of earlier historians, she develops a uniquely complex view of the effects of contact on Native gender relations, arguing that Cherokee conceptions of gender persisted long after contact. Maintaining traditional gender roles actually allowed Cherokee women and men to adapt to new circumstances and adopt new industries and practices.

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Review:

"A fascinating book that truly breaks new ground in the study of Cherokee history, women's history, and American history in general. Exemplifies women's history at its best. She neither concentrates only on so-called notable women-those Cherokee women who are supposedly worthy of historical study because they acted like white men-or on inserting Cherokee women into an already existing narrative of Cherokee and American history. Instead her work challenges the existing narratives and suggests an alternative reading of history. By characterizing women as agents of cultural persistence, Perdue makes a case that we should not see American Indian women as bit players but as 'major players in the great historical drama that is the American past.'"-Margaret Jacobs, Journal of Southern History -- Margaret Jacobs Journal of Southern History "An interesting and effective overview... It is to the author's considerable credit that she is able to re-create the values and behavior of Cherokee women through court records, myths, and observers' accounts. By examining women's roles in farming and community life, Perdue argues that women were coequal contributors to Cherokee culture."-Choice Choice "A well-documented, carefully argued book written in lively and engaging prose. It deserves a wide audience... An exceptional piece of scholarship."-William and Mary Quarterly William and Mary Quarterly "Gracefully written and convincing."-H-Net Reviews H-Net Reviews

Synopsis:

"Perdue's study gives readers an interesting and effective overview of its subject. The role of women among Native American cultures has, until recently, received little attention. As Perdue discusses in her introduction, few sources exist from the 18th century or earlier about women's lives...It is to the author's considerable credit that she is able to re-create the values and behavior of Cherokee women through court records, myths, and observers' accounts. By examining women's roles in farming and community life, Perdue argues that women were coequal contributors to Cherokee culture...Perdue strikes a nice balance by demonstrating areas in which women were the anchors of the culture while also acknowledging their interaction with new influences from outside the clan. Recommended." - "Choice". "A well-written and important scholarly work on Cherokee women." - Wilma Mankiller. Theda Perdue examines the roles and responsibilities of Cherokee women during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a time of intense cultural change.

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