A History of Infanticide in Britain, c. 1600 to the Present

by A. Kilday

Overview

The killing of new-born children is an intensely emotional and emotive subject. The hidden nature of this crime has made it an area incredibly difficult subject area for historians to approach up until now. This work provides the first detailed history of infanticide in mainland Britain from 1600 to the modern era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781349361403
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Edition description:	1st ed. 2013
Pages:	338
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Anne-Marie Kilday is Professor of Criminal History at Oxford Brookes University, UK. She has published on the widely on the history of violence and the history of female criminality in Britain, Europe and North America from 1600 to the present.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 1. Investigating Infanticide – An Enduring Phenomenon 2. The Archetype of Infanticide in the Early Modern Period 3. Murderous Mothers and the Extended Network of Shame 4. Monsters of Inhumanity? Methods of Infant Disposal 5. The Pendulum of Opinion: Changing Attitudes to Infanticide 6. Explaining Infanticide: Motives and Causes 7. The Modern Debate: Getting Away With Murder? Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Anne-Marie Kilday in her book … offers a rich, thorough and nuanced history of this crime. … this book provides a comprehensive account of the phenomenon of infanticide in Britain, being the first to include a wholly integrated approach by incorporating both the English and Welsh, and the Scottish perspectives. … it is an ambitious and important contribution to the existing scholarship. … also provides a useful starting point for further research on this subject from a more contemporary perspective.” (Karen Brennan, Human Figuations, Vol. 5 (1), March, 2016)

From the Publisher