Dissertation Research: Transatlantic Governance: Urban Women and Legal History in Havana, Cuba, 1837-1889

Transatlantic Governance: Urban Women and Law in Havana, Cuba,

1837-1889

This dissertation project is a study of transatlantic legal administration. It examines

the period 1837-1889, during which Spanish colonial Cuba was governed by

what were called 'special laws.' The project examines the impact of these laws on women. The relevant data are the colonial statutes and municipal ordinances that regulated the daily life of Havana's population. Occupational, criminal, and family regulations are considered. The hypothesis critically examined is the prevailing interpretation that law limited the participation of women in economic and social life. These data provide the strongest data on women's involvement in commercial and juridical matters. Criminal cases and police records will also be reviewed because they offer valuable quantitative and qualitative information about the application of legal rules. The sampling frame in this study is broader than in previous studies. It includes a cross-section of urban women-including enslaved women, working class white and free women of color, and upper class white women. This breadth will permit an assessment of the influence of ethnicity and socio-economic status in the deployment of law.