Histoire de l'autonomie corporelle

Histories of Bodily Autonomy 

Call for Papers


Special Issue of Women’s History Review

Co-Editors Susan R. Grayzel (Utah State University) and Nicoletta F. Gullace (University of New Hampshire)

What does it mean to have bodily autonomy? How have struggles for the rights to control their own bodies shaped the histories of women? Why, when, and in what type of societies have such efforts met with greater resistance and/or success?

At this critical moment when the right to control fertility, pregnancy, and gender identity are under attack globally, the relevance of women’s participation in historic struggles to define bodily autonomy and to secure their own corporal wellbeing seems worthy of greater attention. We thus invite scholars from postgraduate students to senior researchers to share their research and insights for a special issue that seeks to look at struggles for bodily autonomy in a global perspective.

We welcome historical studies that resonate with contemporary issues as well as scholarship on contemporary struggles for rights to bodily autonomy that explore their historical roots. The main goal of this special issue is to bring diverse scholarship together in a way that centers the voices and agency of women actors in the modern era.

Articles (solo or multi-authored) should be between 6,000-8,000 words (including references) and have no geographic restrictions. Comparative studies are welcome.

We ask those interested in being part of this special issue to submit a brief c.v. (1-2 pages including relevant research, professional status, institution, and contact information) and a 250-500 word precis of their proposed article.

Please submit your materials by June 15, 2025, to both Nicoletta.Gullace@unh.edu & Susan Grayzel whrspecialissue@protonmail.com. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write to Nicoletta.Gullace@unh.edu and I will do my best to answer your questions.



Contact Information


Nicoletta F. Gullace ( Department of History, University of New Hampshire)

Susan R. Grayzel (Department of History, Utah State University)

Contact Email
nfg@unh.edu

Attachments
Special Issue of Women's History Review on "Histories of Bodily Autonomy"