Mapping Gender in Nineteenth-Century Paris

Using works of art and primary and secondary texts as sources, we will analyze the impact of the built environment on shifting gender roles in Paris in the second half of the nineteenth century. We will consider the physical spaces resulting from the modernization of Paris—the avenues, public squares, apartment buildings, cafés, department stores, cabarets, and World’s Fair venues—as backdrops to and catalysts for this change. The intersection of class and race will also feature in our discussions. We will travel to Williamstown, Massachusetts to view original works of art at the Clark Art Institute and the Williams College Museum of Art.