Programme

The course adopts an international and comparative approach to women’s history in the contemporary age. It will encompass both methodological issues, such as the use of gender as a category, or of biographies, and aspects of the condition of women and the process of their emancipation in Italy and in other western countries. Students will be able to analyze themes of interest to them through discussion and individual or group presentations during classes, and choose most of the texts for the final exam.

Core Documentation

Two volumes among the following ones:

Georges Duby and Michelle Perrot, Storia delle donne in Occidente, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1992: 8 chapters in total present in the two volumes “L’Ottocento” e “Il Novecento”

Tiziana Plebani, Le scritture delle donne in Europa. Pratiche quotidiane e ambizioni letterarie (secoli XIII-XX), Carocci, Roma 2019

Leila J. Rupp, Worlds of Women. The Making of an International Women’s Movement, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1997

Karen Offen, European Feminisms 1700-1950. A Political History, Stanford University Press, Stanford 2000

Daniela Rossini, Donne e propaganda internazionale. Percorsi femminili tra Italia e Stati Uniti nell’età della Grande Guerra, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2015

Alessia Lirosi, Libere di sapere. Il diritto delle donne all’istruzione dal Cinquecento al mondo contemporaneo, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, Roma 2015

Gisela Bock, Le donne nella storia europea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2003

Fiamma Lussana, Il movimento femminista in Italia. Esperienze, storie, memorie, Carocci, Roma 2012

Liviana Gazzetta, Orizzonti nuovi. Storia del primo femminismo in Italia (1865-1925), Viella, Roma 2018

Alessandra Pescarolo, Il lavoro delle donne nell’Italia contemporanea, Viella, Roma 2019


and also one essay chosen between the two following ones:

Gisela Bock, “Women’s History and Gender History: Aspects of an International Debate”, in Gender and History, vol. 1 N. 1, Spring 1989, pp. 7-30;
or Joan W. Scott, “Il genere. Un’utile categoria di analisi storica”, in Altre storie. La critica femminista della storia, a cura di P. Di Cori, Clueb, Bologna 1996, pp. 307-347) or in J.W. Scott, Genere, politica, storia, a cura di Ida Fazio, Viella, Roma 2013

Type of delivery of the course

Lessons are usually given in person. In case of lock-down due to the present epidemic emergency, lessons will be transferred on line, uploading audio, PPT, PDF and video files in Moodle, besides direct talks with students through Teams.

Type of evaluation

Exams are oral interviews with the teacher, usually in person; in case of a new lock-down, they will be taken on line through the application Teams