New Book: Colonial Girlhood – Kris Moruzi

From Colonial to Modern: Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Literature, 1840-1940.

Three cheers for group member Kristine Moruzi, whose new book –co-authored with Michelle J. Smith and Clare Bradford – has just come out. Comparing Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand texts published between 1840 and 1940, From Colonial to Modern… develops a new history of colonial girlhoods, revealing how girlhood in each of these emerging nations reflects a unique political, social, and cultural context.

Print culture was central to the definition, and redefinition, of colonial girlhood during this period of rapid change. Models of girlhood are shared between settler colonies and contain many similar attitudes towards family, the natural world, education, employment, modernity, and race. Yet, as the authors argue, these texts also reveal different attitudes that emerged out of distinct colonial experiences. Drawing on fiction, girls’ magazines, and school magazines, the authors shine a light on neglected corners of these three nations’ literary histories, and strengthen our knowledge of femininity in white settler colonies.

Out now through University of Toronto Press. More details >