Professor Kathryn Gleadle

Professor Kathryn Gleadle

Retired Professor of Gender and Women's History

Research Interests

  • Children, childhood and politics in the long nineteenth century
  • Victorian diaries and manuscript cultures
  • Global feminisms in the long nineteenth century
  • Women and political engagement, Britain 1780-1920

My research centres on British political culture in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and on the experiences of women and children in this period. I am especially interested in the gendered dynamics of civic engagement.  My works in this field include British women in the nineteenth century (Palgrave Macillan, 2001) and Borderline citizens: women, gender and political culture, 1780-1860 (British Academy and OUP, 2009).

I am interested in exploring the agency of those who have been excluded from traditional political narratives. This includes researching the involvement of British children in the political process during the age of reform, including their contribution to pressure-group campaigning, elections, and petitions. I am also currently writing a book on girlhood manuscript cultures and British civic life. This study will range across the long nineteenth century, looking especially at girls’ diaries.

I welcome the opportunity to work with graduates in any of these fields and am happy to discuss possible projects with prospective applicants.

Publications