ABSTRACT
In early modern studies the phrase ‘on the margins’ signals attention to a motley of colourful, otherwise overlooked, social types, such as criminals, prostitutes, Jews, witches or slaves. Treating the marginal in a separate chapter of a survey, or more fully but often in isolation from broader themes, scholars’ presentations may unwittingly mirror the outsider status imputed to these figures in their own societies. Especially for those interested in women and gender, this type-by-type approach overlooks the layering and convergence of multiple sources of marginality, including gender, in a single life. From the 1970s an explosion of research proved that women had not only a history, but many. After showing how gender itself imposed cumbersome constraints and exclusions, scholars began to designate as marginal those who faced, besides being female, other heavy social, economic and cultural burdens. Nevertheless, even in the new millennium, broader scholarship on marginality too often does not take gender into systematic account.
