Gender as a Category of Historical Analysis: the Methodology of Gender History

Abstract

At the present stage of the development of historical science, gender history is becoming one of the most promising areas of research, opening up new methodological possibilities for historical analysis and focusing attention on understudied issues concerning the role of women in history. This article is devoted to identifying the main methodological principles of gender history aimed at analyzing the sociocultural context. In this case, the gender approach is defined by an analysis of a set of symbols and images that have formed in culture and are associated with the definition of historically established “gender norms” that have developed in the field of history. Gender analysis also encompasses gender-differentiated social institutions that determine a person’s position in society (education system, political system, family, labor market). This approach makes it possible to create a comprehensive picture of women’s participation in a particular sphere of activity during a specific historical period. The article examines the emergence and development of gender studies in the context of the formation of feminist theories, their integration into the academic sphere, and the application of gender studies methodology in various fields of humanities. The authors analyze the application of the gender approach in the study of history, as well as the prospects for the category of gender in historical and interdisciplinary research. The authors highlight the emergence and formation of gender history, its methodological apparatus, and reveal the possibilities and prospects for the application of gender historical methodology.