Gender and arms in local conflicts in Brittany (1789-1799)

"Carry arms" or "take up arms", these expressions were rarely expressed as feminine declensions, since woman were traditionally kept at a distance from any military organization. This reality is part of a long-standing anthropological and social mechanism, and can be observed on a very large scale. Women's armies and female soldiers show themselves to be deeply subversive, as witnessed by the mythical figure of the Amazon. The French Revolution is a promising moment for observing these practices and deeply rooted representations. The many occasions for conflict illuminate the different forms of the use of arms, when the scope of socio-political upheavals raises the question of a possible recomposition of gender norms. The local conflicts on the scale of Brittany-are at the core of this analysis, as is an analysis of law and discourse of practices in a comparative perspective between masculine and feminine use of arms.