Women and society in the Romanian principalities 1750-1850

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation into the history of women in the Romanian Principalities (today Romania) in the period 1750 to 1850, a crucial time of political and social transformation which was to turn Romania into a modern society. The two introductory chapters aim to outline the international, political and social dimensions of these processes of change, by highlighting the situation of the Principalities as provinces dominated by a weakening Ottoman Empire, in the context of Russian and Austrian expansionism. Under such geopolitical pressures, social issues such as the rights of women, the emancipation of serfs and Gypsy slaves, agrarian reform and the improvement of education were placed low on the agenda for social reform until the 1848 revolutions. Nevertheless, there were social changes before this period in which women's contribution proved significant. Part One focuses upon legal issues such as dowry provisions and the marriage market, access to divorce and re-marriage, as well as upon the ways in which property rights affected families. These chapters show women using and challenging legal practices in order to protect themselves and their children, thereby triggering a gradual process of legal change reflected in the period's law codes. Part Two explores the roles of women in processes of cultural change, showing, for example, how women's freedom of choice in matters of fashion and consumption affected the ways in which the Romanians re-defined themselves as 'Europeans' in the face of Ottoman occupation and Orthodox conservatism. Also discussed are the tentative steps women took, beginning with their earliest appearance as midwives and actresses, towards better educational and professional opportunities. The final chapter offers a view of women in the period's Greek-language literature and in the earliest known memoir by a Romanian woman, and provides a summary of the factors affecting the lives of Romanian women in the period 1750 - 1850 as they moved towards a more European identity. Finally, I offer a few signposts for future research, in a field which is still largely experimental in terms of methodology and conceptual frameworks