ABSTRACT

Presenting selected histories in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, this work discusses: political and economic issues; marriage practices, motherhood and enslavement; and religious beliefs and spiritual development. Famous women, including Hatshepsut, Hortensia, Aisha, Hildegard of Bingen and Sei Shonangan, are discussed as well as lesser known and anonymous women. Both primary and secondary source readings are included.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

Gendering World History, Globalizing Women's History

chapter |18 pages

Prehistoric Women

Shaping Evolution, Sustenance, and Economy

chapter |19 pages

The Women of Ancient Egypt

chapter |16 pages

India

Women in Early Hindu and Buddhist Cultures

chapter |16 pages

Israel

Jewish Women in the Torah and the Diaspora

chapter |18 pages

Greece

Patriarchal Dominance in Classical Athens

chapter |15 pages

China

Imperial Women of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.′220 C.E.)

chapter |16 pages

Women in the Late Roman Republic

Independence, Divorce, and Serial Marriages

chapter |21 pages

Western Europe

Christian Women on Manors, in Convents, and in Towns

chapter |21 pages

The Middle East

Islam, the Family, and the Seclusion of Women

chapter |16 pages

China and Japan

The Patriarchal Ideal

chapter |17 pages

Africa

Traders, Slaves, Sorcerers, and Queen Mothers

chapter |20 pages

Southeast Asia

The Most Fortunate Women in the World

chapter |19 pages

The Americas

Aztec, Inca, and Iroquois Women