Inside the Magdalene Laundries
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
02/14/25
•49m
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Societies all throughout history have tried to control female sexuality.
Ireland's Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes are two examples of this, where women were imprisoned against their will.
As you'll hear, it's a history that dates back to the 18th century and is still unfolding today.
Joining Kate to take us inside the Magdalene Laundries and the Mother and Baby Homes are two special guests:
Natalie Hughes-Crean is a Specialist Case Worker at Frea Renewing Roots, a charity based in the north of England to help women and families affected by Mother and Baby Homes.
Katherine O'Donnell, campaigner and co-author of Ireland and the Magdalene Laundries, A Campaign for Justice.
How was this imprisonment and mistreatment of women allowed to go on for so long? How complicit were the state? And what are some of the incredible stories of the women whose lives these institutions ruined?
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Valentine's Day in Ancient Rome
February 11, 2025
•33m
What are the origins of Valentine's Day?
Perhaps the answer lies in a pagan festival that starts with a sacrifice in a cave above Ancient Rome.
What connects the naked running through the streets of Rome to Valentine's Day today? How did the onset of Christianity in Rome effect celebrations? And when did Valentine's Day as we know it today first take off?
Joining Kate to find out all about this, is friend of the show and author, Emma Southon. Check out Emma's book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, here.
This podcast was edited by Amy Haddow and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
The Dark History of BMI & Fatphobia
February 18, 2025
•46m
Dark ideas and stigma around different body sizes really took hold in the Enlightenment.
Very unenlightened, if you ask us.
This started all sorts of awful movements, and one result was BMI - or Body Mass Index - which is still used as a measure of health by doctors today.
What even is the BMI? Why are women and people of colour particularly affected by these harmful ideas? And what's the future of fatphobia and BMI?
Joining Kate is the fantastic Amy Farrell, professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Dickinson College and author of Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture, to take us back to the dark origins of BMI and fatphobia.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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