Tarbin, S. and S. Broomhall (2008). Women, identities and communities in early modern Europe. Aldershot, Ashgate.
This edited collection explores questions of 'identity' and 'community', arguing that both concepts connote affinity and similarity but also difference, and starts from the premise that gender mattered to early modern men and women. Through examining the historical experiences of early modern women, this edited collection investigates tensions between shared gender identity and forces of social division between women. The historical contributions range from the late medieval period to the eighteenth century, with examples of women in England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. Different local contexts are also explored, such as the household, neighbourhood, parish, city, court and nation, and these different contexts are reflected in the organisation of the book into six parts: Reading Communities in History; Domestic Polities; Social Networks; Negotiating the City; Gentry Communities; and Queens and Court. The main methods in this edited collection are archival and documentary historical research. This volume also provides an interesting comparison with Capp's* study of women, family, and neighbourhood in early modern England.