94769 - History of Women's Political Thought (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students should have acquired the general knowledge to frame women’s political thought within the historical contexts in which it is embeddded, and in relation to the main theoretical and conceptual issues discussed by modern and contemporary political doctrines. The course allows the students to detect and analyse both the political problems enumerated by women’s political thought, and the way in which it has been affected by the most important social and institutional changes from the early modern to the global age, including its main theoretical developments. The knowledge acquired during the course enables the students to apply the instruments necessary for analysis of classical texts and to develop a critical-methodological approach useful for the analysis of theoretical issues and for understanding of the political and social implications of their judgements. They will also have learnt to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different cultures and viewpoints, spotting the tie-ups among different disciplines.

Course contents

The course introduces students to the work of some of the women who have shaped the history of political thought, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary global age. It examines the reasons for their exclusion from the traditional canon of political thought, the methods through which that exclusion has been produced and maintained, and the ways in which their writings redefine both the content and the boundaries of the discipline.

Particular attention is devoted to the ways in which women thinkers have articulated, challenged, and reinterpreted key concepts of modern political thought—including virtue, nature, domination, the individual, woman, man, the state, sovereignty, rights, democracy, society, work, freedom, equality, difference, citizenship, order, and revolution. The course also explores the relationship between their political thought, the development of feminist political theory, and major modern and contemporary political traditions, including republicanism, liberalism, Marxism, and neoliberalism.

Readings/Bibliography

SECTION A

— Paola Rudan, Donna. Storia e critica di un concetto polemico, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020.

— Johan W. Scott, Il 'genere': un'utile categoria di analisi storica, in J.W. Scott, Genere, politica, storia, Roma, Viella, 2013, pp. 31-63.

— Roberta Ferrari ‒ Eleonora Cappuccilli, Il discorso femminista. Storia e critica del canone politico moderno, in «Scienza &Politica» 2016, vol. XXVIII, n. 54, pp. 5-20.

SECTION B

1) Christine de Pizan, La città delle Dame, a cura di Patrizia Caraffi, Edizione di Earl Jeffrey Richards, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

2)

Margaret Cavendish, Orazioni di diverso tipo, adeguate a luoghi diversi, introduzione a cura di P. Rudan, traduzione di Maria Giulia Sestito, Napoli, Istituto italiano per gli studi filosofici Press, 2024

3)

Margaret Cavendish, Bell in Campo, traduzione e introduzione a cura di M.G. Sestito, Bologna, "Quaderni di Scienza e Politica", n. 14, 2024, risorsa online: https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/7594/1/Quad%2014%20SESTITO%20depositato.pdf

4) Mary Astell, Reflections upon Marriage (1700), in M. Astell, Political Writings, ed. by P. Springborg, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996.

5) Mary Wollstonecraft, Rivendicazione dei diritti della donna, traduzione di Carlotta Cossutta, Mondadori, 2025.

6)

— Sarah M. Grimké, Poco meno degli angeli: lettere sull'uguaglianza dei sessi, a cura di Thomas Casadei, Roma, Castelvecchi, 2016.

with

— Emma Goldman, Femminismo e anarchia, prefazione di Bruna Bianchi, Pisa, BFS, 2009.

7) Anna Julia Cooper, A Voice from the South, in The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper, ed. by Charles Lemert ‒ Esme Bhan, Lanham – Boulder – New York – Toronto – Oxford, Rowman & Littlefield, 1998, pp. 45-196

8) Simone de Beauvoir, Il secondo sesso (1949), Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1999 (studenti e studentesse devono concordare con la docente le parti da studiare).

9)

— Carla Lonzi, Sputiamo su Hegel; La donna clitoridea e la donna vaginale e altri scritti, Milano, Edizioni Rivolta femminile, 1970.

with

— Mariarosa Dalla Costa, Potere femminile e sovversione sociale (1972), Venezia, Marsilio, 1974.

10) bell hooks, Elogio del margine: razza, sesso e mercato culturale, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1998.

11) bell hooks, Non sono una donna, io, Napoli, Tamu, 2023.

11)

— Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Femminismo senza frontiere. Teoria, differenze, conflitti, introduzione e cura di Raffaella Baritono, Verona, ombre corte, 2012.

with

— Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Critica della ragione postcoloniale, Roma, Meltemi, 2004, pp. 293-321.

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures combined with the close reading and discussion of the assigned texts.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the classes are considered attending students. Students who attend less than 75% of the classes are considered non-attending students.

Both attending and non-attending students are required to study all the texts listed in Section A of the bibliography. Attending students must choose one text or group of texts from Section B, while non-attending students must choose two texts or groups of texts from Section B.

Different editions of the texts listed in the bibliography may also be used.

Assessment consists of an oral examination designed to evaluate the knowledge and skills acquired during the course, with particular attention to the student's ability to identify and discuss the theoretical and conceptual connections that characterise the thought of the women thinkers studied.

In particular, the assessment will take into account the student's ability to engage critically with the primary sources and the examination bibliography, to identify relevant information, and to use it to explain and establish connections between the themes and problems addressed during the course.

The assessment will evaluate:

• knowledge and understanding of the subject;

• the ability to summarise and critically analyse themes and concepts;

• the ability to communicate clearly and effectively using appropriate disciplinary terminology.

Excellent marks will be awarded to students who demonstrate a comprehensive and coherent understanding of the topics covered in the course, the ability to engage with them critically, and a confident and accurate command of appropriate academic language and disciplinary terminology.

Good marks will be awarded to students who demonstrate a sound knowledge of the subject, together with satisfactory analytical and synthetic skills, although their use of disciplinary terminology may not always be fully accurate or appropriate.

A pass mark will be awarded to students who demonstrate a basic but sufficient knowledge of the examination material, together with limited analytical skills and occasional inaccuracies in language or terminology.

A failing mark will be awarded where there are substantial gaps in knowledge, inappropriate or inaccurate use of disciplinary language, or an inability to engage effectively with the primary sources and the examination bibliography.

Examination sessions are scheduled in the following months of the academic year (one session per month): January, February, March, May, June, July, September, October, and November.

All examination sessions are open to all students.

Teaching tools

Power point (uploaded on virtuale)

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities:

please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Rudan