Understanding 19th century ‘baby-farming’ women who killed: aberration or ‘rational’ act?

Abstract

Writing for Frontier, PhD student Joshua Stuart-Bennett explains his research into the child killing activity associated with Victorian ‘baby-farming’. In contrast to understandings that have been based upon cases of individual women and their nature, he hopes to place the phenomenon within the wider social, cultural and historical context to reframe our perception of these women and their crimes.