Abstract
The Research Project of National Relevance “Hegelian constellations of the feminine: a hyper-archive for an inclusive Bildung” is directed by Francesca Iannelli (Roma Tre University) in collaboration with Stefania Achella(Chieti/Pescara University) and Eleonora Caramelli (Bologna University) and founded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The Hegelian constellation of the feminine has remained largely unexplored; reconstructing it is the main objective of the present project, which aims to fill a significant gap in the overall reconstruction of Hegel’s historical interaction with the female figures of his time in the biographical, aesthetic-artistic, social spheres. Likewise, the strategic role that can be played by such a constellation as a magnifying glass on a number of qualifying aspects that may reveal an emancipatory bearing of Hegel’s philosophy for contemporary debates on family, art, translation, Bildung, and rights has not yet been adequately recognized. The present research project is therefore set against the backdrop of such an innovative scenario with the intention of creating a digital hyper-archive (“FemHaB”) of the main female figures who interacted with Hegel and exerted an influence, direct or indirect, on his thought, profiling themselves as “figures of resistance” to oblivion, beyond prejudice. The archive will be built in collaboration with Samsung and will allow a direct interaction, through augmented reality experiences, of the biography and intellectual legacy of the female figures considered as well as with the Stuttgart philosopher to solicit high school and university students or other interested scholars for a choral reflection on possible inclusive reinterpretations of Hegelian philosophy for our present that will be documented in a dedicated section of the Archive under the supervision of the three Units.
Results achieved
The PRIN 2022 project Hegelian Constellations of the Feminine: A Hyper-Archive for an Inclusive Bildung has produced a substantial body of scientific, digital, educational and public-engagement outcomes. Coordinated by Francesca Iannelli at Roma Tre University, with research units led by Stefania Achella at the University of Chieti-Pescara and Eleonora Caramelli at the University of Bologna, it has investigated the overlooked contribution of women to Hegel’s intellectual biography, philosophical formation and cultural legacy. Drawing on Dieter Henrich’s method of constellation research, the project reconstructed networks of family relations, artistic practices, translation activities and intellectual mediation that conventional histories of German Idealism have often left in the background. Its aim was therefore not simply to add female figures to an established canon, but to reconsider the formation of that canon and the meaning of Bildung from a more inclusive perspective. A major result is FemHab – Archive of the Feminine and Bildung in Hegel https://hegel-femhab.org/, an interactive digital hyper-archive devoted to six women who interacted, directly or indirectly, with Hegel and his legacy. Developed by students from philosophy, communication and engineering programmes at Roma Tre, Bologna and Chieti-Pescara, in collaboration with Samsung Electronics Italia through the Samsung Innovation Campus, the archive combines historical research, Digital Humanities and artificial intelligence. Users can explore documentary materials and interact through chatbot-based interfaces with the biographies and intellectual legacies of the women represented. FemHab thus functions both as a scholarly repository and as an experimental philosophical genre: it does not merely catalogue documents, but makes visible relations, voices and forms of cultural transmission that have been erased or marginalised. It also provides an educational environment for university and secondary-school students, doctoral researchers, scholars and the wider public. The project generated an extensive programme of international conferences. “Gendering Idealism”, held at the University of Chieti-Pescara on 20-22 November 2024, brought together scholars working on gender, recognition, politics, translation, literature and the history of German Idealism. Its programme addressed such subjects as Caroline Michaelis, Antigone, Hegel’s conception of women and the state, women on Hegel’s intellectual path, and the gendering of translation. The double conference “Hegel and the Genre of Translation”, held at the Centre Marc Bloch in Berlin on 16-17 January 2025 and at the University of Bologna on 6-7 February 2025, placed Hegel’s reflections on translation in dialogue with the practices of women translators and writers of his time. It explored translation as a philosophical genre and as a critical practice capable of transforming language, authorship and the canon. The conference “Hegelian Idealism in the XXI Century: New Constellations and New Directions”, held at Roma Tre in September 2025, extended the project’s results towards Digital Humanities, artificial intelligence, archives, feminist rereadings of Hegel and the emancipatory potential of German Idealism. Public dissemination was another central achievement. On 6 March 2025, the event “Samsung Innovation Campus, POT & Hegelian Constellation Project for International Women’s Day 2025” presented the archive at Roma Tre and involved researchers, university and secondary-school students, Samsung representatives, journalists, an anti-violence centre and the Iranian artist Mohaddeseh Rabbaninia. The initiative connected philosophical research, technological training and public reflection on gender equality. FemHab also received national media coverage in Il Sole 24 Ore’s “Alley Oop”, where it was discussed as an example of how AI and digital technologies can recover women’s overlooked contribution to intellectual history, while also drawing attention to algorithmic bias and gender inequalities in technological development. Artistic research formed part of the same dissemination strategy: the exhibition “Memories of the Invisible”, inaugurated on 22 September 2025 at the Palladium Theatre in Rome, presented six works by Rabbaninia inspired by the women reconstructed through the project. The project has also produced, or prepared for publication, a significant series of scholarly outputs. Its methodological framework was presented in “Rediscovering Unexplored Hegelian Constellations for an Inclusive Bildung”, by Francesca Iannelli, Stefania Achella and Eleonora Caramelli, published in B@belonline in 2024. The article defined three principal areas of inquiry – ethical and familial, artistic, and translational constellations – and showed how the recovery of historically obscured women can transform our understanding of Hegelian philosophy and European Bildung. Further outcomes include the volume Against the Law of the Father, edited by S. Achella, B. Jovićević, F. Iannelli and E. Caramelli, Brill-Fink 2026; the volume Gendering Idealism, edited by S. Achella, B. Jovićević, F. Iannelli and E. Caramelli, forthcoming with Springer in the series Women in the History of Philosophy and Science by the end of 2026; the special issue Hegel and the Genre of Translation, edited by E. Caramelli, S. Pieroni, F. Iannelli and . Achella, scheduled for Studi di Estetica in 2027; the Critical Horizons special issue Diffracting Idealism, edited by S. Achella, B. Jovićević, F. Iannelli and E. Caramelli; a special issue of Post-filosofie, edited by the project researchers Chiara Magni and Silvia Pieroni; and the collective volume Hegelian Idealism in the XXI Century, edited by F. Iannelli, E. Caramelli and S.Achella. Taken together, these outcomes demonstrate the project’s capacity to combine rigorous historical-philosophical research with digital innovation, international collaboration, artistic practice, teaching and public engagement. Its most important result lies in showing that the feminine is not a supplementary or merely biographical topic within Hegel studies. It is a critical perspective from which to reassess the production and transmission of philosophical knowledge, the structures of recognition and exclusion that shaped the European canon, and the possibilities of an inclusive Bildung for the present.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Eleonora Caramelli
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Filosofia
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi ROMA TRE(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 48.652,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 28
Data di inizio
17/10/2023
Data di fine:
27/02/2026
