Apologies for cross-posting

CALL FOR PAPERS



One Day Symposium:  Cleanliness, Dirt and Women's Roles
7 November 2002






The Women's Library, formerly The Fawcett Library, at London Guildhall
University, recently reopened in a £7m Heritage Lottery Project on the site
of Goulston Street Wash Houses.  The Wash Houses were originally built in
1846
as a 'model' public wash-house to encourage habits of 'cleanliness' amongst
the local population.  Our second exhibition, 'Dirty Linen', looks at the
history of the wash houses in relation to women's roles in cleaning things
up and opens in September.

Alongside other activities we are planning a one day, inter-disciplinary
symposium on 7 November 2002 exploring issues around gender and cleanliness.
Papers are sought across a wide range of fields including the history of
health, medicine, architecture and design, technology, education, race,
gender, literary and cultural studies.  The symposium will focus on the
association of women with the concepts of 'cleanliness' and 'dirt' and their
role in keeping bodies, clothes, homes, society and the urban environment
'clean' from c.1800 to the present day.  Themes may include:  sanitary
reform and public health; women, dirt and the city; municipal housekeeping;
physical and moral purity; domestic hygiene, interior design, domestic
science; bathing; laundry; housework; technology; advertising; consumption;
and whiteness.

Please send abstracts of 250 words to Hilary Clay, [log in to unmask] at The
Women's Library, Old Castle Street, London, E1 7NT by Tuesday 27 August
2002.  Successful proposals will be confirmed by 9 September 2002.