A Day in the Life

A guided tour through the current state of scholarship on daily life, including suggestions for further research. Edited and led by Peter N. Stearns, the eminent social historian, this book is an indispensable aid to students and teachers who are interested in the hows and whys of the little and big things people did, thought, and felt as a matter of course throughout their lives. The history of daily life is one of the fastest growing areas of student inquiry and popular interest. Designed to set out the broader currents of the scholarship on daily life, and the many directions for inquiry that have recently opened, this book will appeal to students and teachers alike. It guides readers to the wider questions raised by studies of normal people in normal times, doing everyday things. The topics covered include: the history of daily life; writing the history of private life; the body in health, disease, and medicine; popular culture, religion, science and education; material culture; politics, the state, crime, and deviancy; work, living standards, and consumerism; and leisure and recreation. Every piece concludes with an in-depth annotated bibliography that guides readers to the most important and useful works on the topic and related issues. This work is fully indexed.