Emily Jane Cowan
The Crime of Murdering Femininity? The scandal of Victorian and Edwardian female murderers in Lancashire, and the effect of concepts of femininity and gender roles on their crime and punishment.
Research Interests
My research investigates the relationship between femininity, gender roles, and criminality during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. My focus is on women in Lancashire who committed capital offences, such as murder, and examines how societal expectations shaped their actions, the public's perception, and the judicial system’s treatment of them.
I am particularly interested in how the press reported these crimes, and how gender norms influenced the trials and punishments of these women. My research contributes to a wider understanding of how gender ideals shaped women’s everyday lives, their involvement in serious crime, and media narratives during this period.
As a social historian, I am deeply interested in the everyday lives of women throughout history, especially those who have been marginalised or persecuted.
My research focuses on concepts of femininity and gender roles during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and how these ideals shaped women’s experiences and daily lives. I also have a strong interest in earlier historical periods, and how women have been affected by societal expectations throughout time. I am passionate about telling the stories of these women, reclaiming their voices, and putting them back into history.