Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GYNODICY (GYNODICY: gender-egalitarian fictions of origin in European philosophical culture (1673-1751))
Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2025-08-31
How do representations of an “original” humanity ground our socio-political organisation? What role do they play in early modern feminist political theory? This research project examines gender-egalitarian fictions of the origins of societal organisation that circulated in European culture during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The project’s objective is to investigate how these representations were implemented to contest the naturalisation of gendered power imbalance within society. The project focuses on feminist responses to the problem of gynodicy, that is, the challenge of accounting for historically-instantiated gender inequality while defending, as a theoretical starting point, the idea of a natural equality between men and women.
The project proposes a new narrative within early modern philosophy scholarship by recovering and examining a body of literature comprised of both printed works and unedited manuscripts that denounce gender-based inequality and injustice, while also taking into account dialogically rival early modern texts that strive to naturalize and consolidate patriarchal hierarchies. The project aims to give voice to early modern women intellectuals and feminist philosophers who were excluded from the canon of the history of philosophy.
The project proposes a new narrative within early modern philosophy scholarship by recovering and examining a body of literature comprised of both printed works and unedited manuscripts that denounce gender-based inequality and injustice, while also taking into account dialogically rival early modern texts that strive to naturalize and consolidate patriarchal hierarchies. The project aims to give voice to early modern women intellectuals and feminist philosophers who were excluded from the canon of the history of philosophy.
During the outgoing phase, the fellow has focused on the retrieval and analysis of a selected collection of early modern manuscript and printed sources ranging from Poulain de la Barre’s De l’égalité des deux sexes to Louise Dupin’s Des femmes. She has developed a comparative approach to reconstruct philosophical refutations, transfers and critical appropriations between gender-egalitarian authors and canonical thinkers, and examined misogynistic exclusionary mechanisms that delegitimize the former group’s intellectual production.
The fellow submitted one article for peer review and completed drafts of two additional journal articles. She presented her research at five scientific conferences, took part in ten advanced training activities, and contributed to academic exchange by co-organizing an international and interdisciplinary seminar and serving on the organizing committee of a three-day international workshop. In addition, she carried out three public engagement and communication activities to share the project’s findings with diverse audiences.
The fellow submitted one article for peer review and completed drafts of two additional journal articles. She presented her research at five scientific conferences, took part in ten advanced training activities, and contributed to academic exchange by co-organizing an international and interdisciplinary seminar and serving on the organizing committee of a three-day international workshop. In addition, she carried out three public engagement and communication activities to share the project’s findings with diverse audiences.
The major accomplishment expected for the project in terms of its scientific impact consists in the innovative interdisciplinary and transnational gender-egalitarian new narrative of early modern political philosophy that it will produce. The project’s scientific impact is achieved through its publications, which combine new perspectives on early modern philosophical culture with archival findings and little-known materials that were, however, impactful during the period. The initial research findings presented at international conferences by the fellow are evidence of the project’s significant advancement of the state of the art in the field of intellectual history, history of philosophy and political thought, with a focus on feminist theory.
The fellow has actively worked to foster the amplification of the project’s scientific impact in diverse research communities and academic networks by creating, in partnership with Dr. Eleonora Alfano, the International and Interdisciplinary Seminar “And Philosophy Created Woman / And Woman Created Philosophy: Disciplinary Intersections around Gender Equality in Early Modernity”. The seminar has an international pool of participants and academic sponsorships.
The project’s societal and institutional impact lies in its contribution to the recovery and study of the intellectual legacy of women and the historical foundations and development of gender equalitarianism.
The fellow has actively worked to foster the amplification of the project’s scientific impact in diverse research communities and academic networks by creating, in partnership with Dr. Eleonora Alfano, the International and Interdisciplinary Seminar “And Philosophy Created Woman / And Woman Created Philosophy: Disciplinary Intersections around Gender Equality in Early Modernity”. The seminar has an international pool of participants and academic sponsorships.
The project’s societal and institutional impact lies in its contribution to the recovery and study of the intellectual legacy of women and the historical foundations and development of gender equalitarianism.