Examining the power of gender seems like a topic built for today.
But UC Merced history Professor Susan Dwyer Amussen’s new book, “Gender, Culture and Politics in England, 1560-1640: Turning the World Upside Down” examines the cultural, social and political history of England and the ways the image of an upside-down world was used to convey the “proper” roles for men and women during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
The book, published this summer, is part of a series on the cultures of early modern Europe, focused on the ways that representations, perceptions and negotiations shaped people’s life experiences, according to the London-based publisher, Bloomsbury.
“The book looks at unruly women and failed patriarchs and how they affected communities, families and politics during that time,” Amussen said. “For instance, having a queen was a problem. People turned somersaults trying to justify her power.”
The period was one of rapid economic and social change among a growing population. Women’s roles in certain arenas were growing in influence.
“People really did feel like the world was upside down, which is really just a way of saying ‘things aren’t going the way I think they should, and it’s upsetting,’” Amussen said.
One of the avenues Amussen takes to explore those changes is how they were presented in a range of stage plays, such as Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and John Webster’s “The Duchess of Malfi.” Theater — and popular culture in general — were often the means for political debates that otherwise would not have been tolerated.
She also looks at the cuckold joke, which was popular at the time.
“Those jokes were a big thing then. They are not funny, but they are a way that men were shamed and seen as failures because they couldn’t keep their wives faithful,” she said.
“Part of what I’m arguing is that if you want to see a society as a whole, you have to think about politics, culture and society and how changes can be tracked through those lenses,” she said.
