Existence of collective women’s experience viewed in the light of historiography referring to women in early modern Western and Eastern Europe

Abstract

In the light of opposing views on the existence of collective women’s experience and rising support for the idea of the category of “woman” as one that changes over time, it becomes interesting to consider the methodology which assumes the existence of a collective women’s experience. Keeping in mind ideas propounded by theorists to determine the meaning of social category of “woman”, the paper explores women’s experiences in terms of three selected components: economic involvement, religion rights, and women’s power and gender. Thus it is concluded that 1. women from spatial area under research had different experiences in domains of their economic inclusion and regarding their opportunities to hold political power and influential position within the family. 2. However, there are indisputable features that common to women in the mentioned geographical and time frame. 3. The third conclusion stems from the to mentioned: that the theories assuming existence of women’s collective experience are partially valid and need to be applied with care due to the two above mentioned conclusions.