Married to the “living dead”: madness as a cause for divorce in late nineteenth-century France

What is it about?

This article examines the French divorce debates of 1884 and their aftermath, specifically the controversial decision to exclude the perceived insanity of one spouse as a legal cause for divorce.

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Why is it important?

This article takes a fresh look at the legalization of divorce in France from a gender studies and disability studies perspective, arguing that the limitations of the divorce bill served to affirm the exclusion of women and people with disabilities from the full rights of citizenship.