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The killing of new-born children is an intensely emotional and emotive subject. The hidden nature of this crime has made it an area incredibly difficult subject area for historians to approach up until now. This work provides the first detailed history of infanticide in mainland Britain from 1600 to the modern era.
List of contents
Acknowledgements 1. Investigating Infanticide - An Enduring Phenomenon 2. The Archetype of Infanticide in the Early Modern Period 3. Murderous Mothers and the Extended Network of Shame 4. Monsters of Inhumanity? Methods of Infant Disposal 5. The Pendulum of Opinion: Changing Attitudes to Infanticide 6. Explaining Infanticide: Motives and Causes 7. The Modern Debate: Getting Away With Murder? Bibliography
About the author
Anne-Marie Kilday is Professor of Criminal History at Oxford Brookes University, UK. She has published on the widely on the history of violence and the history of female criminality in Britain, Europe and North America from 1600 to the present.
Summary
The killing of new-born children is an intensely emotional and emotive subject. The hidden nature of this crime has made it an area incredibly difficult subject area for historians to approach up until now. This work provides the first detailed history of infanticide in mainland Britain from 1600 to the modern era.
Additional text
“Anne-Marie Kilday in her book … offers a rich, thorough and nuanced history of this crime. … this book provides a comprehensive account of the phenomenon of infanticide in Britain, being the first to include a wholly integrated approach by incorporating both the English and Welsh, and the Scottish perspectives. … it is an ambitious and important contribution to the existing scholarship. … also provides a useful starting point for further research on this subject from a more contemporary perspective.” (Karen Brennan, Human Figuations, Vol. 5 (1), March, 2016)
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"Anne-Marie Kilday in her book ... offers a rich, thorough and nuanced history of this crime. ... this book provides a comprehensive account of the phenomenon of infanticide in Britain, being the first to include a wholly integrated approach by incorporating both the English and Welsh, and the Scottish perspectives. ... it is an ambitious and important contribution to the existing scholarship. ... also provides a useful starting point for further research on this subject from a more contemporary perspective." (Karen Brennan, Human Figuations, Vol. 5 (1), March, 2016)
