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A review by christinecc
Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast by Joan DeJean
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Joan DeJean gives us an interesting look at how Europeans established themselves in the New World. And if you thought the idea of Europeans setting up shop where people were ALREADY living was bad... it gets worse! Interesting but worse.
The short of it is, women weren't super keen to travel to the "New World." At least, not at the same rate that men were. Turns out that populating a faraway land isn't easy without a decent birth rate. DeJean covers the history of the French kingdom's attempts to up the New World numbers (sometimes with consenting participants, sometimes with... non-consenting ones), but for the most part she focuses the book on the few but striking stories of women who deportations to Louisiana were recorded. Not surprisingly, few of these already scant stories end well.
In an attempt to get two birds with one stone, France decided to send "undesirable" female convicts to the French territory of Louisiana (which is actually much bigger than present-day Louisiana). Many of these women were falsely accused. Some might have been "guilty" (using quotation marks here because let's just say, not all laws were prosecuted in good faith when the people doing the deporting were profiting from this endeavor) but still did not deserve the ordeal they underwent as a result.
And yet, some managed to build a lasting legacy in spite of these horrors. Others did not. It's fascinating to read DeJean's research bring these women's clearly terrifying experience to life. These titular "mutinous women" were far from home, without any say as to where they would be deposited, and essentially at the mercy of people who only saw them as cheap labor and marriage material to bear more kids (who could also eventually become a labor force). Grim, I know, but it's a little known aspect of French-American history, and I'm glad I know more now.
Recommended if you are interested in France's history of American colonization, women in the early 18th century criminal justice system, and the history of several states that used to make up the French-controlled territory of Louisiana.
Thank you to Basic Books and Netgalley for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The short of it is, women weren't super keen to travel to the "New World." At least, not at the same rate that men were. Turns out that populating a faraway land isn't easy without a decent birth rate. DeJean covers the history of the French kingdom's attempts to up the New World numbers (sometimes with consenting participants, sometimes with... non-consenting ones), but for the most part she focuses the book on the few but striking stories of women who deportations to Louisiana were recorded. Not surprisingly, few of these already scant stories end well.
In an attempt to get two birds with one stone, France decided to send "undesirable" female convicts to the French territory of Louisiana (which is actually much bigger than present-day Louisiana). Many of these women were falsely accused. Some might have been "guilty" (using quotation marks here because let's just say, not all laws were prosecuted in good faith when the people doing the deporting were profiting from this endeavor) but still did not deserve the ordeal they underwent as a result.
And yet, some managed to build a lasting legacy in spite of these horrors. Others did not. It's fascinating to read DeJean's research bring these women's clearly terrifying experience to life. These titular "mutinous women" were far from home, without any say as to where they would be deposited, and essentially at the mercy of people who only saw them as cheap labor and marriage material to bear more kids (who could also eventually become a labor force). Grim, I know, but it's a little known aspect of French-American history, and I'm glad I know more now.
Recommended if you are interested in France's history of American colonization, women in the early 18th century criminal justice system, and the history of several states that used to make up the French-controlled territory of Louisiana.
Thank you to Basic Books and Netgalley for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.