Mothers against the natural order: Gender representations and desertion of identities in the drama of disinheriting a son in eighteenth‐century Barcelona

Abstract

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.