<i>Gender in Modern Welsh History: Perspectives on Masculinity and Femininity in Wales from 1750 to 2000</i> edited by BethJenkins, PaulO'Leary and StephanieWard, University of Wales Press, 2023, pp. vii–275, ISBN: 978‐1‐83772‐078‐1.

In the modern era, the cultural image of the ‘Welsh Mam’ is distinct in its semiotic ideations, traditionally depicting a pious, resourceful and hardworking matriarch. Bent over a stove while cradling a baby in her shawl-covered arms, her connections to the domestic sphere are apparent, as are her links to feminine familial duty. However, it would be a mistake to claim that this image is fixed or finite: the image of the Welsh Mam, like any other cultural symbol, is in a constant state of iteration and contestation. This is a function of the inherent flexibility embedded in ideas about gender, masculinity and femininity – an argument that readily rises to the surface in Gender in Modern Welsh History: Perspectives in Masculinity and Femininity in Wales from 1750 to 2000. This collection from editors Beth Jenkins, Paul O'Leary and Stephanie Ward valuably applies gender as a lens to analyse modern Welsh history, providing a ‘flavour of the complexity of gender in the country's modern past’ and demonstrating ‘how gender as an analytical lens can open new areas of enquiry for historians’ (p. 10). Stemming from a one-day symposium held at Cardiff University in September 2019, the chapters come together to present a scoping study of how gender has been constructed, represented and performed by people in Wales, across modern time frames and regional geographies. Moreover, just as this edited collection boldly ventures into unexplored territory pertaining to gender and modern Welsh history, so too does it illuminate compelling paths for future research that historians of all disciplinary backgrounds could pursue. An undeniable strength of this collection lies in its ability to draw connections across chapter lines – a significant feat, given the span of geographical and temporal topics covered by the authors. One such way this is accomplished is via the application of intersectionality. While focusing on gender, each chapter also deliberately acknowledges the overlapping social categorisations that contribute to individual identity, including race, class, age, location, marital status, political affiliation and otherwise. This is especially evident in Paul O'Leary's discussion on mining masculinities in the South Wales Coalfield (1870–1914) as well as Simon Jenkins’ examination of sexual morality anxieties in Cardiff from 1900 to 1945, both of which aptly delve into the ways in which race factors into prevailing conceptions of idealised femininity and masculinity. Furthermore, many of the chapters in this collection also comment on the rural–urban divide, emphasising how gender roles fluctuate according to regional contexts. Angela Muir's analysis of sex work in less densely populated areas (1750–1830) and Stephanie Ward's consideration of domestic femininity in interwar Wales meaningfully underline the importance of expanding historical inquiry beyond the boundaries of the city, and into the countryside and coalfields as well. To this point, an additional theme that emerges throughout the collection pertains to the application of a gender lens to protest movements. This is covered in Neil Evans and Beth Jenkins’ assessment of the spatial dimensions of women's social movements in Wales (1890–1914), Jay Rees’ study of women's activism at Swansea University (1970–1990) and Elaine Titcombe's evaluation of anti-nuclear political movements in Wales (1970–2000). Each of these authors demonstrates how the history of protests can elucidate a cross-section of identities within a nation, highlighting their utility for the purpose of political, cultural and social critique. Thus, while each of these chapters is impressive as a stand-alone achievement, they also complement one another for their mutual benefit. An inherent by-product of the temporal and spatial span of study covered throughout this collection is that there are, of course, gaps – a fact that is gamely recognised by the editors and authors themselves. There is, for example, a lack of coverage of the years from 1831 to 1869 and then again from 1946 to 1969. There are also multiple references throughout the collection to the idea the Welsh nation is perceived as ‘feminine’ compared to other nations in the United Kingdom, without elaborating upon the nuances of and rationale behind this claim (e.g., p. 58, p. 154, p. 259). These gaps do not detract from the collection's value but rather identify meaningful points from which to launch further study and underscore potential future applications of gender history. Overall, this edited collection successfully and resoundingly reinforces the notion that gender norms are highly contested and fluid. Just as there is no singular definition of the Welsh Mam, as discussed in Stephanie Ward's chapter, there is also no widespread agreement on the meaning of ‘manliness’ among Welsh coal miners, as elaborated upon in Steven Thompson's chapter on the Labour Movement in South Wales from 1870 to 1939. This collection thereby effectively illustrates how femininity and masculinity were potent tools used to organise, divide and unify throughout modern Welsh history, thus echoing Thompson's assertion that gender is a ‘powerful lens through which to observe the organisation of society’ (p. 114).