Curious Mammal

Well I guess one can still dream, but unfortunately this one isn't what we thought it was. Here is the response from the author: Hi Matt- I mean milk from their own cows (or sheep and goats, in the case of cheese). But thanks for pointing this out, and glad you had fun with it! (the thought of breast-milk cheese is pretty funny) Merry Wiesner-Hanks

This is a bit unnerving, or just really cool. I can't figure out which. In my textbook on Early Modern Europe I find on page 196, regarding the different activities that women and men would perform around the house and in the market. One sentence perplexes me: "...women made cheese and butter from their own milk..." I wasn't sure what this meant, but to be sure I brought it up in class. It garnered plenty of laughs but in the end we couldn't figure it out. How much milk does it take to make butter, or cheese for that matter? What was the price for some of this substance? How did it fair on the market? Was it a luxury item? How did it compare to other cheeses or butters out there? The questions go on and on. I recently emailed the author to clarify this statement and give us any insight into this interesting anecdote on Early Modern Europe... ...stay tuned.

Two models of early modern European society gives us a view of the complexities present during this period. Both show how difficult it is to hedge out a workable model that can define roles of both the family and gender roles in Europe. As one looks at most of Europe during this time period one finds an agricultural based society where grain and the harvesting of grain is the main source of income and subsistence found. That being said, gender roles in this activity are pretty well established. Based on the physicality of the job men wold perform the heavy lifting while women and older people would do other perfunctory tasks, but still contribute to the process of harvesting. Women would also maintain issues surrounding the home including child care. This model, however, does not adequately show the flexibility and manueverability in these gender roles. As seen in the Wiesner-Hanks text, one finds that during times of bad weather, epidemics, or simply a busy harvesting time, women ...

Western scholarship has been known to focus on several metanarratives that define itself. These narratives can influence how we as historians view a certain time period, people, or event. Modernization in early European history can be seen as a major driving force in past and current scholarship. Influences of scientific progress, a fracturing Catholic Church, and growing capitalistic influences dominate the ideas scholars possess when viewing Europe during this time period. In regard to our own ideas about the narrative of modernization, its benefits and costs, one should be cognizant of this in viewing the social, economic, political and religious changes early "modern" Europeans faced.