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Historiographical Analysis of William Alexander's History of Women

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Historiographical Analysis of William Alexander's History of Women DEPARTAMENTO DE HISTORIA I UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA LOS ORÍGENES DE LA HISTORIOGRAFÍA FEMINISTA — HISTORIOGRAPHICAL ANALISYS OF WILLIAM ALEXANDER’S HISTORY OF WOMEN — EULALIA SIMAL IGLESIAS Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: Turkish Bath A mi abuela Carmen Resumen Esta tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo examinar el contexto historiográfico de la obra de William Alexander, La historia de las mujeres. De la más temprana antigüedad al tiempo presente. Hasta el mo- mento, se ha prestado poca atención a este libro, quizás a causa de su naturaleza contradictoria y de su extensión. A diferencia de mu- chos de los historiadores de su tiempo, que analizaron en sus tra- bajos la situación de las mujeres como un hito del proceso de civi- lización, Alexander no pertenecía al ámbito académico, no dejó ninguna otra obra de tipo histórico y recibió escaso reconocimien- to en su día. Por ello, todavía sabemos muy poco acerca de Wi- lliam Alexander, cuyas circunstancias vitales han sido investigadas principalmente por Jane Rendall. William Alexander nació posiblemente en Halifax en 1742. En los años 60 del siglo dieciocho, estudió en la Escuela de Medi- i Resumen cina de Edimburgo, donde seguramente acudió a las clases de me- dicina impartidas por William Cullen. Tras pasar unos años en el ejército y como médico en Edimburgo, se doctoró en medicina en 1769. Aunque con toda probabilidad ejerció en Londres durante la mayor parte de su vida profesional, Alexander mantuvo fuertes vínculos con Escocia. Mantuvo correspondencia con destacadas figuras de la vida cultural escocesa, como Alexander Monro senior, quien pudo haber sido su mecenas, y fue admitido en la Medical Society (1765) y en la Royal Society de Edimburgo. También sa- bemos que realizó varias investigaciones médicas acerca de Edim- burgo, las cuales, además, fueron discutidas en las asociaciones culturales de la ciudad. Todavía sabemos menos sobre los últimos años de su vida y sobre su muerte, que pudo haber ocurrido en 1788. Su obra Historia de las mujeres fue publicada en Londres en 1779. Consta de dos volúmenes y su organización en capítulos es temática, en lugar de cronológica. Cada capítulo (o conjunto de capítulos) se centra en una cuestión en concreto, que es tratada cronológicamente, examinando sus variaciones a lo largo del tiem- po y en distintas sociedades. En el primer tomo, Alexander incluyó capítulos tales como “Esbozo de la historia antediluviana de las mujeres”, “Sobre la educación femenina”, “Sobre las ocupaciones y las diversiones de las mujeres”, “Sobre el tratamiento, condición, ventajas y desventajas de las mujeres en la vida salvaje y en socie- dad”, “Acerca del carácter y la conducta de las mujeres”, “Sobre los efectos de la compañía femenina” y “Esbozos acerca de las ceremonias y costumbres propias de las mujeres”. En el segundo tomo, se incluyen los capítulos siguientes, “Sobre la delicadeza y la ii Resumen castidad”, “Acerca de las variadas opiniones que profesan distintas naciones respecto a las mujeres”, “Sobre el vestido, adornos y otros métodos a través de los cuales las mujeres realzan su atracti- vo ante los hombres”, “Acerca del cortejo”, “Sobre el matrimo- nio”, “Sobre el celibato” y “Sobre la viudedad”. El libro termina con un apéndice centrado en la sociedad contemporánea a Alexander: “Una breve consideración acerca de las leyes y costum- bres más materiales, con respecto a las mujeres de Gran Bretaña”. Por tanto, el libro se ocupa de una gran variedad de temas: la con- dición de las mujeres en las sociedades actuales, comparándola con su situación en las sociedades primitivas, la naturaleza femenina y sus principales virtudes, la familia, el noviazgo, y las costumbres, vestido y educación femeninas. La Historia de las mujeres no sólo describe la evolución de la condición femenina a lo largo de la historia sino que también se ocupa de la naturaleza femenina y sus facultades, de la relación entre mujeres, progreso y virtud, y de la posición de las mujeres en la articulación de las esferas de lo privado y lo público. Así pues, el libro puede considerarse un valioso ejemplo de los diferentes dis- cursos e ideas que definían las relaciones y nociones de género en el siglo dieciocho. Su producción histórica contribuye al conoci- miento de los vínculos existentes entre las transformaciones histo- riográficas y la formación de identidades de género. Además, hemos de destacar que se trata de la primera historia de las muje- res, en la que las mujeres son el sujeto histórico principal, conside- radas en cuanto a su género, alejándose así de las antologías de mujeres ilustres que caracterizaron la Edad Moderna. El interés historiográfico del libro reside, asimismo, en la variedad de temas iii Resumen que trata y de fuentes empleadas, que denotan la deuda de William Alexander con su contexto historiográfico más inmediato, el de la Ilustración escocesa, y con desarrollos historiográficos contempo- ráneos inspirados en las ciencias naturales y centrados en la conse- cución de una ciencia del hombre. Finalmente, el libro refleja los debates del siglo dieciocho acerca de nociones de género, las muje- res y su papel en la sociedad, que abarcaban desde argumentos proto-feministas, en pro de la igualdad, a la transformación de nuevas y viejas ideas en definiciones normativas del ideal femenino y de la función de las mujeres en la sociedad. Para examinar el contexto en el que la obra fue producida, hemos utilizado dos enfoques básicos. En primer lugar, se proce- derá a analizar las circunstancias históricas contemporáneas a la obra, ocupándonos de la situación de las mujeres en la Gran Bre- taña del siglo dieciocho y analizando la dialéctica que articula la formación de identidades nacionales que contribuyó a la integra- ción de las distintas partes que formaban el Reino Unido, una unión que no estuvo exenta de tensiones. Por otra parte, nos ocuparemos del contexto intelectual de la obra, centrándonos principalmente en la Ilustración escocesa, ya que la Historia de las mujeres debe considerarse uno de los mejores ejemplos de la historia conjectural, el paradigma historiográfico preferido por los autores escoceses. La vitalidad académica de la Escocia del siglo dieciocho proporcionó a Alexander ideas, inspi- ración y precedentes. Alexander, al igual que los historiadores con- jecturales escoceses, creía que la condición de las mujeres consti- tuía un indicio del nivel de progreso de la sociedad, consideró a las mujeres como sujetos históricos válidos y mostró en su obra una iv Resumen tensión entre progresismo y conservadurismo. Aunque debemos reconocer que el contexto europeo es también relevante para esta investigación, un análisis en profundidad de los debates e ideas que tuvieron lugar en el continente respecto a las relaciones e identida- des de género se halla fuera del marco de esta tesis doctoral. En consiguiente, la obra de William Alexander será examinada a la luz del desarrollo de la Ilustración escocesa, incidiendo en su elabora- ción de los roles de las mujeres en la sociedad, en sus formas de escritura de la historia y en su interpretación del discurso de la sen- sibilidad. El primer capítulo tiene como objetivo acercarse a las vidas de las mujeres de la Gran Bretaña del siglo dieciocho, centrándose en su papel en la familia como madres y esposas y, al mismo tiem- po, teniendo en cuenta las actividades públicas femeninas de tipo económico, laboral, educacional, político y social. Debido a proce- sos de distinto tipo, la situación de las mujeres en las décadas fina- les del siglo dieciocho se caracterizó por su inestabilidad y dina- mismo, a consecuencia de los efectos de las transformaciones eco- nómicas derivadas de la revolución industrial, la influencia de suce- sos de tipo político tales como la Guerra de Independencia ameri- cana, la agitación revolucionaria que precedió a la revolución fran- cesa y los cambios sociales relacionados con la emergencia de las clases medias y su mentalidad burguesa. Esta situación cambiante favoreció la producción de una obra como la de Alexander, centrada en el análisis de la evolución de la situación femenina en distintas sociedades y épocas. Además, la alteración de los modelos tradicionales de trabajo, ocio, vida fami- liar y sociabilidad provocó incertidumbres y temores acerca de la v Resumen articulación de las relaciones de género, estimulando el desarrollo de reflexiones de tipo filosófico e histórico sobre la naturaleza, deberes y condición femeninas. Se ha buscado una perspectiva de tipo global, en la que los ideales y deberes adscritos a las mujeres puedan interpretarse a la luz de las múltiples implicaciones de la noción de género, tanto de tipo privado como público. El segundo capítulo trata de proporcionar una visión de con- junto sobre las dinámicas que articularon la formación de identida- des nacionales en la Gran Bretaña del siglo dieciocho. Estos proce- sos determinaron la transformación de Gran Bretaña en una na- ción más cohesionada e influenciaron las relaciones de Escocia con la metrópolis y sus propias visiones de sí misma. Inquietudes de tipo patriótico contribuyeron en la evolución de los presupuestos ideológicos de la Ilustración escocesa, puesto que sus autores se hallaban profundamente interesados en el mantenimiento y el pro- greso de la comunidad frente a un mundo cambiante y en expan- sión, caracterizado por el desarrollo comercial e imperial. Al mis- mo tiempo, el ascenso de Gran Bretaña como potencia comercial e imperial provocó no pocas ansiedades en Escocia, respecto al cre- cimiento de la riqueza y a la inclusión de pueblos extraños dentro del Estado. Divididos entre a la conveniencia de aprovechar los beneficios que la Unión con Inglaterra ofrecía y aprehensiones respecto a los efectos negativos del lujo y el poder imperial, los autores escoceses procuraron la preservación de la comunidad frente a estos riesgos para la virtud mientras que, al mismo tiempo, sacaron partido de las nuevas fuentes de información disponibles gracias a un mayor contacto con sociedades no Europeas.
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