Feminism and Canadian History The Impact of Feminism on the Research and Writing of Medical History: A Personal View1

Using my own research on the Canadian medical profession and its treatment of women in the first half of the twentieth century, I illustrate four ways in which feminist theory and action has influenced historical scholarship: first, the recognition of women as a socially constructed gender; second, concerns about the increasing medical intervention in women's bodies; third, the recent sensitivity with regards to women's agency; and fourth, the feminist critique of science itself. In turn, I argue that historical research can help nuance our view of the present and where we want to go in the future. RESUM