Louise O. Fresco fellow for the history of food and nutrition

Although domestic science schools were long dismissed as mere ‘spinach academies’, historians have come to view these institutions as initiatives aimed at improving public health. The domestic science movement arose at the end of the 19th century and sought to educate women to become professional housewives using scientific knowledge about the functioning of the body, nutrients and digestion. To improve public health and raise the status of domestic work, domestic science purposefully distanced itself from traditional views on health and nutrition. As Louise O. Fresco fellow, Marit de Wit is researching how new scientific knowledge was disseminated among women who attended these schools. Based on printed and, above all, handwritten cookbooks in the Allard Pierson's Food History Collection, she argues that these sources can provide insight into the lives of ordinary women and offer a more inclusive perspective on the history of knowledge and science.

Marit de Wit completed a research master’s degree in Modern and Contemporary History at Utrecht University and specialises in cultural and gender history. In her research, she draws on prescriptive literature as well as personal documents to explore women’s experiences. She previously conducted research at the special collections of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR) and Museum Huis Doorn. Furthermore, she contributed to medical and emotions history research projects at Utrecht University and Lund University.