by The HERstory Project
HERstoryPod by The HERstory Project is hosted by Abby Woodman and Jillian Ducker to learn about the history we don't often get taught, getting into heritage and academia, and even more... The HERstory Project is a collective of early career historians and academics dedicated to platforming underrepresented women's, queer and decolonial histories. Check out our website - www.herstoryproj.com, and our social media pages @herstoryproj, to discover even more!
Language
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Publishing Since
1/16/2025
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April 15, 2026
<p>Who were the Mitford Sisters?</p><p>In this episode, Abby and Jillian delve into the fascinating, chaotic, and shocking lives of the Mitford sisters, 6 extraordinarily influential women whose political beliefs and personal choices provide a microcosm of 20th-century sociopolitical upheaval. From fascism and communism to aristocratic reform, their stories reveal how deeply personal and political histories intertwine.</p><p>Key Topics:</p><ul><li>The background and upbringing of the Mitford sisters in early 20th-century Britain.</li><li>How family dynamics and societal class impacted their political beliefs and life choices.</li><li>The contrasting careers: authorship, activism, political extremism, and aristocratic responsibilities.</li><li>The sisters' individual relationships with fascism, communism, and each other, including Diana's Nazi links and Jessica's communist activism.</li><li>Personal tragedies, mental health struggles, and the lasting legacy of their political affiliations.</li><li>The influence of broader historical contexts, including the rise of fascism, the Spanish Civil War, and WWII.</li><li>Their enduring cultural impact and the reflection of societal fracture through family.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Don't forget to check out our website! </p><p>herstoryproj.com</p><p><br></p>
April 2, 2026
<p>Did you know that before Nicola Coughlan was writing gossip about the Bridgertons there were real scandal sheets that published the tawdry gossip of elite society?</p><p><br></p><p>Jillian and Abby dive into the history of scandal sheets, the rise of celebrity gossip, and the political power of rumour through entertaining stories and scholarly insights.</p><p>Key Topics:</p><ul><li>The origins of gossip papers and scandal sheets in early modern Europe</li><li>How gossip was used for political manipulation and social control in the 18th and 19th centuries</li><li>The relationship between gossip, celebrity, and capitalism during the long 18th century</li><li>The role of gossip in foundational moments of modern media and nation-building</li><li>The rise and regulation of Victorian scandal sheets and the Victorian obsession with morality and sex</li><li>Parallels between historical gossip culture and contemporary social media (Deux Moi, blind items)</li><li>The fictional portrayal of gossip in Bridgerton and its historical roots in Queen Charlotte’s era</li><li>The racial and gendered dimensions of gossip, and the construction of morality and race in historical and modern contexts</li><li>The influence of political scandals, trials, and royal gossip on public perception and power dynamics</li><li>The Kennedy family, Elizabeth I, and other figures whose private lives fueled public spectacle and political influence</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://amazon.com/Black-Tudors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black Tudors: The Untold Story</a></li><li><a href="https://instagram.com/deuxmoi" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deux Moi Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene_Publications_Act_1857" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Obscene Publications Act (1857)</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sarah Bernhardt's Salon and celebrity gossip</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Charlotte" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Queen Charlotte’s Portrait and Heritage</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kennedy Family History & Scandal</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worsley_scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Worsley Scandal and Satirical Cartoons</a></li></ul><p>Note: The episode references both real historical scandals and fantasy portrayals such as Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown. The nuanced history illustrates how gossip and scandal serve as powerful social and political tools through centuries.</p><ul><li><p>Clayton, Tim. “Satire and Scandal: Media in 18th-Century England”, English Heritage, <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/18th-century-satire-and-scandal/"><u>https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/18th-century-satire-and-scandal/</u></a></p></li><li><p>Gardner, Victoria. “Eighteenth-century newspapers and public opinion”, The Routledge Companion to British Media History ed. Martin Conboy and John Steel, 2014.</p></li><li><p>Kinchin-Smith, Sam. “Lady Worsley’s Scandalous Story”, English Heritage, 2019, <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/lady-worsley/"><u>https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/lady-worsley/</u></a></p></li><li><p>Kinservik, Matthew. Sex, Scandal, and Celebrity in Late Eighteenth-Century England, Palgrave Macmillian, 2007.</p></li><li><p>Mccoy, Lauren. “Waifs and Strays of Town Talk”, Victorian Review, John Hopkins University Press, Vol. 43, No. 2, 2017.</p></li><li><p>Taylor, Elise. “Bridgerton: The Real-Life Lady Whistledowns of Regency-Era England”, Vogue, 2020, <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/bridgerton-the-real-life-lady-whistledowns-of-regency-era-england"><u>https://www.vogue.com/article/bridgerton-the-real-life-lady-whistledowns-of-regency-era-england</u></a></p></li><li><p>“‘The doubly-noble prisoner’: The trial of Elizabeth Chudleigh, countess of Bristol, or duchess of Kingston?”, History of Parliament, 2021, <a href="https://historyofparliament.com/2021/10/07/trial-of-elizabeth-chudleigh/"><u>https://historyofparliament.com/2021/10/07/trial-of-elizabeth-chudleigh/</u></a></p></li><li><p>Tillyard, Stella. “Celebrity in 18th-Century London”, History Today, Vol. 55, No. 6, 2005, <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/celebrity-18th-century-london"><u>https://www.historytoday.com/archive/celebrity-18th-century-london</u></a></p></li><li><p>Ross, Marlon. “Scandalous Reading: The Political Uses of Scandal in and around Regency Britain”, The Wordsworth Circle, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1996.</p></li><li><p>Ryan, Yann. “Newsbook to Newspaper: Changing Format, Layout and Illustration in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century Periodical News”, The Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press ed. Nicholas Brownlees, Edinburgh University Press, 2023.</p></li><li><p>Wiener, Joel. “The nineteenth century and the emergence of a mass circulation press”, The Routledge Companion to British Media History ed. Martin Conboy and John Steel, 2014.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Additional primary sources from Gale Online - Burney Newspapers Collection</p></li></ul><p><br>This episode was researched by Rebecca Gadd and Leila Guedalla Gomm, the hosts are Abby Woodman and Jillian Ducker. The editors and producers are Abby Woodman and Caitlin Paul.</p>
March 20, 2026
<p>The History of Contraception - This episode contains sensitive themes and graphic content linked to medical abuse and reproductive violence.This episode takes a deep dive into the often-overlooked and troubling history of contraception, revealing how scientific progress has frequently been intertwined with human experimentation, racial injustice, and societal control. Join Abby and Jillian as we explore ancient methods, medieval beliefs, and modern developments, highlighting the importance of acknowledging this complex past to inform present and future reproductive rights.</p><p><br></p><p>This episode was researched by Leela Mace, presented by Abby Woodman and Jillian Ducker, and edited by Abby Woodman</p><p><br></p><p>Key Topics:</p><ul><li>The origins of contraception in ancient Egypt, Greece, China, and Sumatra, including bizarre and toxic methods like crocodile dung pessaries and mercury ingestion.</li><li>The influence of classical ideas about the male and female body, gender misconceptions, and how these shaped early reproductive theories.</li><li>The development of barrier methods such as early condoms made from animal intestines and the infamous Roman advice to hold your breath during sex.</li><li>The evolution of surgical procedures like Caesareans, the grim history of non-consensual experiments on enslaved women, and the role of unethical science in saving lives.</li><li>The rise of modern contraceptives: the pill, IUDs, hormonal injections, and their roots in eugenics, racial targeting, and medical abuse.</li><li>The ongoing legacy of racialized sterilization, reproductive violence against marginalized groups, and the importance of confronting this history.</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Planned Parenthood</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/hlcells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Henrietta Lacks and Medical Ethics</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nazi Human Experimentation and Eugenics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Sanger" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Margaret Sanger - Eugenics and Birth Control</a></li><li><a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/contraception" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Modern Contraceptive Devices and Development History</a></li></ul><p><br>99:16 - The gendered bias in contraceptive development and access<br>110:01 - The current landscape: the debate over male vs. female contraception<br>113:18 - How hormonal contraceptives work: estrogen and progesterone interactions<br>120:41 - The politics and societal resistance to contraception and reproductive rights<br>122:38 - Short-term risks and side effects of hormonal methods<br>129:56 - The persistent use of hormonal contraception today and societal implications<br></p>
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HERstoryPod by The HERstory Project is hosted by Abby Woodman and Jillian Ducker to learn about the history we don't often get taught, getting into heritage and academia, and even more...
The HERstory Project is a collective of early career historians and academics dedicated to platforming underrepresented women's, queer and decolonial histories. Check out our website - www.herstoryproj.com, and our social media pages @herstoryproj, to discover even more!
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