“A Nice Little Wife to Make Things Pleasant:᾿ Portrayals of Women in Canadian History Textbooks Approved in British Columbia
Keywords:
portrayal of women, history textbooks, Canadian history, feminist scholarshipAbstract
ABSTRACT. This study examined 20th Century Canadian history textbooks authorized in British Columbia, for their portrayals of women. The texts do not adequately reflect feminist scholarship nor societal changes. The nation building narrative of the textbooks precludes the inclusion of women in important ways. In the interwar years, the women who appear in history textbooks are portrayed as parasitic and weak. In the 1950s to 1970s period inclusion requires royal status or fame as a writer. In the 1980s women are often depicted in larger-than-life ways and “filler feminism᾿ is a problem. “UNE BELLE PETITE FEMME POUR RENDRE LES CHOSES PLAISANTES᾿ : PORTRAITS DE FEMMES DANS LES MANUELS SCOLAIRES D’HISTOIRE CANADIENNE APPROUVÉS DANS LA COLOMBIE BRITANNIQUE RÉSUMÉ. Cette étude examine les portraits de femme dans les manuels scolaires d’histoire du Canada au 20ème siècle, autorisés dans la Colombie Britannique. Ces textes ne reflètent pas adéquatement les études feministes et les changements sociaux. Le récit des manuels au sujet de la construction de la nation exclut l’inclusion des femmes de multiples façons. Durant l’entre deux guerres, les femmes qui apparaissent dans les manuels d’histoire sont décrites comme parasitaires et faibles. Des années 1950 à 1970, l’inclusion exigeait un statut royale ou une renommée en tant qu’auteur. Dans les années 1980, les femmes sont souvent décrites de façon « plus large que la vie » et «le féminisme comme dédommagement» est un problème.Downloads
How to Cite
Clark, P. (2006). “A Nice Little Wife to Make Things Pleasant:᾿ Portrayals of Women in Canadian History Textbooks Approved in British Columbia. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 40(2). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/567
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