Storiografie sperimentali. Genere e world history

Abstract

A new interpretative trend is making itself visible in gender studies. Disseminated and discussed essentially in North American scholarly journals, it is situated at the intersection of family, women and gender research and encourages a re-thinking of the founding categories of this disciplinary field which has been defined by the scholarly traditions of a history of the West. The emergence of this new trend displaces in the direction of world history a practice of historical writing which has privileged circumscribed, "particular" areas of enquiry located within the boundaries of communities, regions and nations. The article outlines the formation processes, the hierarchies and asymmetries of academic power and knowledge, as well as the challenges that define this emerging area of research.