The Story behind the Story: Infamous Cases of Infanticide in Early Twentieth Century Norway

In the 1910s and 1920s infanticide cases often garnered a lot of newspaper coverage in Norway. Journalists, politicians, medical professionals and women’s rights activists used these court cases to foster a public debate on issues of maternity and social welfare. Their arguments drew on narratives previously gathered, analyzed and constructed by judiciary officials. While the women accused of these crimes featured prominently in these accounts, their own experiences were often obscured by layers of rhetoric, interpretation and legal procedures. This paper addresses the methodological considerations involved in using well-known court cases to study women’s lives.