University of Glasgow

Violent Men & Masculinity in Nineteenth-Century Scotland

Academic History:

2015 - PhD; University of Glasgow

2013 - 2015 MSc Gender History; University of Edinburgh

2009 - 2013 MA History & History of Art, First Class Honours; University of Edinburgh

Supervisors:

Professor Lynn Abrams

Dr Alex Shepard

Dr Annmarie Hughes

Research Interests:

My research will examine male violence & masculinity in nineteenth-century Scotland. I will be attempting to identity the dynamic dialogues between incidences of differing forms of male violence - such as wife beating or male-on-male fighting - & the breadth of constructions of nineteenth-century masculinity. I seek to explore how different types of violence were understood, where the lines of condemnation or toleration were drawn & the impact that this had on how violent men were perceived in society. My interests include the histories of gender & masculinities, especially when they intersect with themes of violence & struggles for power.

Previous Research Projects:

Both my undergraduate& postgraduate work has focused on the history of masculinity. My undergraduate dissertation examined early modern male witchcraft, a field not wholly uninhabited but not always well served. By analysing demonological treatises, court records, sensational literature & religious sermons, I sought to challenge pervasive historiographical perceptions of the male witch as anomalous.

The focus of my postgraduate dissertation reflected the temporal shift of my research interests into the modern period. I examined the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality from 1957-1988, paying specific attention to homosexual law reform in Scotland whereby limited legal emancipation was not achieved until 1980, thirteen long years after equivalent legislation was passed in England & Wales. Through an examination of newspapers & government records, I sought to explore how press & public opinion influenced efforts to decriminalise homosexual acts & influenced Scottish exemption from the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.

Awards:

2015 - Jeremiah Dalziel Prize. best example of writing on British History

Contact Details:

Address: School of Humanities, University of Glasgow, 1 University Gardens, Room 205, Glasgow G12 8QQ

Email: h.telling.1@research.gla.ac.uk

First published: 25 September 2015