The eighteenth century was characterised by a ferment of ideas and activities which have usually been portrayed as masculine. It is now increasingly perceived that such developments travelled further through society than hitherto generally recognised. Even women participated in "enlightened living", despite gendered limitations on education,…

The educational impact of the dancing master is examined within social and cultural contexts including patronage and artistic style. The nature of the dancing master's peripatetic role and lesson content in domestic and private locations is analysed with reference to notational scores, dance treatises and archival sources. The impact on…

What forms of knowledge are deemed worth possessing in any period and who is allowed access to them are crucial questions for the historian of education. Science, now a core subject of study, has long been seen as "masculine", especially at its highest levels, although the historical reasons for this have been somewhat neglected in education. This…

Discusses the premise of theory, methods, and social science in relation to the history of education. States the articles in this issue demonstrate there are still current active explorations of educational history being conducted. (KDR)

Investigates the field of science to examine the neglect of its interrelationship with gender and how this weakness can be resolved. States it is vital to understand the methods and sources used in educational history when examining science and gender as an intellectual part of educational history. (KDR)

Discusses the debate on gender and imperialism in India by examining the case of Mary Carpenter, a nineteenth century English educationist and social reformer, in order to provide more information on the debate. Addresses where Carpenter stood in the discourse on imperialism. (CMK)