Department or Program

History

Abstract

The mid-to-late Victorian period witnessed a surge in political and legislative efforts to further include groups and identities within the bounds of the British constitution. As these efforts developed alongside complex liberal alliances however, exclusionary discourses of gender became important markers of acceptable political identity. Focusing primarily on the function of masculinity in the development of legislation during Gladstone's first ministry, this project seeks to illuminate some of the contradictions defining of a Liberalism tense between the revolutionizing effects of industrialization and particularly entrenched Victorian conceptions of normative masculine behavior. In tracing the significant impact of these gendered discourses through Britain's most prolific legislative period, a much clearer and accurate image of social and political citizenship emerges.

Level of Access

Open Access

First Advisor

Shaw, Caroline

Date of Graduation

5-2018

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

130

Components of Thesis

1 PDF File

Open Access

Available to all.

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