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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/223532
Mothers against the natural order: Gender representations and desertion of identities in the drama of disinheriting a son in eighteenth‐century Barcelona
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The disinheritance of a firstborn son accustomed to the privileges of exclusion has for centuries been a dramatic event for families,especially if the decision was taken by a woman, the son’s own mother. Very few dared to do so, because it symbolised a break withthe notion of virtuous, compassionate motherhood; it represented a failure to be ashamed of, as well as being a bold challengeagainst the male line. Through examination of litigation documents, this text describes a case of disinheritance by a mother thatoccurred in Barcelona in 1732. The analysis considers the different perspectives of those involved in such events, from the struggleover gender representations to small acts of self-affirmation by women who became agents of their own lives.
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FARGAS PEÑARROCHA, María Adela. Mothers against the natural order: Gender representations and desertion of identities in the drama of disinheriting a son in eighteenth‐century Barcelona. Gender & History. 2025. ISSN 0953-5233. [consulted: 14 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/223532