Kirjahaku

The historical development of dentistry as a profession in Ontario from the late nineteenth century to the end of the First World War is used as a case study to explore the significance of gender, particularly masculinity, in the formation of professions. Adams argues that gender was central to the establishment of the dental profession. Over time, dentistry developed from being a trade to garnering professional status. The early dentists worked to recruit, and indeed structured the profession in such a way as to recruit, middle-class white men into the profession. Gender and class divisions were drawn upon both to define and legitimate professional roles and claims to professional status; by definition, a professional was a gentleman. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" uses historical documents including dental journals and dental board and association meeting minutes to detail both the key events in the establishment of the dental profession and the efforts of professional leaders to define and structure their profession to meet the gentlemanly ideal. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" is a fascinating social history for anyone interested in profession creation and gender and professions.

Self-regulation has long been at the core of sociological understandings of what it means to be a "profession." However, the historical processes resulting in the formation of self-regulating professions have not been well understood. In Regulating Professions, Tracey L. Adams explores the emergence of self-regulating professions in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia from Confederation to 1940. Adams’s in-depth research reveals the backstory of those occupations deemed worthy to regulate, such as medicine, law, dentistry, and land surveying, and how they were regulated. Adams evaluates sociological explanations for professionalization and its regulation by analysing their applicability to the Canadian experience and especially the role played by the state. By considering the role of all those involved in creating the professional landscape in Canada, Adams provides a clear picture of the process and illuminates how important this has been in building Canadian institutions and society.

The historical development of dentistry as a profession in Ontario from the late nineteenth century to the end of the First World War is used as a case study to explore the significance of gender, particularly masculinity, in the formation of professions. Adams argues that gender was central to the establishment of the dental profession. Over time, dentistry developed from being a trade to garnering professional status. The early dentists worked to recruit, and indeed structured the profession in such a way as to recruit, middle-class white men into the profession. Gender and class divisions were drawn upon both to define and legitimate professional roles and claims to professional status; by definition, a professional was a gentleman. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" uses historical documents including dental journals and dental board and association meeting minutes to detail both the key events in the establishment of the dental profession and the efforts of professional leaders to define and structure their profession to meet the gentlemanly ideal. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" is a fascinating social history for anyone interested in profession creation and gender and professions.