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

Perdue, Theda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803287607 ISBN 13: 9780803287600

Publisher: Bison Books, 1999

Synopsis

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. Theda Perdue is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her works include Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866 and Native Carolinians: The Indians of North Carolina.

About this title

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.

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. The strength of their traditions empowered them to resist changes, including pressure from the federal government to relinquish tribal lands. Theda Perdue is a professor of history at the University of Kentucky. Her numerous works include "Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866" and "Native Carolinians: The Indians of North Carolina".

About this edition

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0803287607
• ISBN 13: 9780803287600
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 254