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Thursday 13 April 2023
16.30 - 18.30
B-8
WOM09
Engendering Cultural Memory. Ancient Women as Educational and Social Role Models since the 18th Century CE
Volvosalen
Network:
Women and Gender
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Chair:
Agnès Garcia-Ventura
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Organizers:
Kerstin Droß-Krüpe, Agnès Garcia-Ventura |
Discussant:
Kerstin Droß-Krüpe
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Mireia López-Bertran :
The Phoenician Princess Jezebel through the Lenses of the Western Visual Culture
The Phoenician princess of Jezebel has been a paramount example of the misuse of ancient women in creating a feminine stereotype based on her sexual, sensorial, and sinful features. According to the Ancient Testament (Kings I and II), Jezebel was the daughter of Ithobaal, king of Tyre, who got married ... (Show more)The Phoenician princess of Jezebel has been a paramount example of the misuse of ancient women in creating a feminine stereotype based on her sexual, sensorial, and sinful features. According to the Ancient Testament (Kings I and II), Jezebel was the daughter of Ithobaal, king of Tyre, who got married with Ahab, king of the Judahite kingdom of Samaria. She was the responsible of introducing the cult of Baal on the Israelite kingdom but was finally killed in accordance with Elijah’s prophecy. This historical woman has become even an adjective: following the Merriam Webster dictionary the use of jezebel often as not capitalized defines “an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman”.
Although some publications have deconstructed this stereotype and empowered the princess as an historical character (see Pippin, 1994; Stavrakopoulou 2013, Pla Orquín 2019), this communication will explore how the view of Jezebel as seductress have been developed in the western visual culture from the 18th century to the 21th century. We will do so by choosing different supports, mostly paintings and films in order to discuss how the reception of the princess has participated actively in the creation of feminine androcentric stereotypes.
References:
Pippin, T. 1994, “Jezebel Re-vamped,” in A. Brenner (ed.) A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings. Companion to the Bible 5; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press: 196–206.
Pla Orquín, R. 2019, “Per una storia delle donne fenicie. Jezabel nella corte di Samaria”, Folia Phoenicia. An internacional Journal, 3: 9-30.
Stavrakopoulou, F. 2013, “Making Bodies: On Body Modification and Religious Materiality in the Hebrew Bible”, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, 4, 2: 532-553. (Show less)
Michaela Oberhuber :
Why Men should Educate Women. Bianca Laura Saibantes’ Considerations about “Womanly Pride” and her Use of Ancient Women as Role Models
This paper approaches the question of the reception of antiquity within the context of conceptions of gender in the eighteenth century. In doing so, it adds to recent scholarly efforts to look more closely at women as important agents in the reception of antiquity. To this end, the analysis focuses ... (Show more)This paper approaches the question of the reception of antiquity within the context of conceptions of gender in the eighteenth century. In doing so, it adds to recent scholarly efforts to look more closely at women as important agents in the reception of antiquity. To this end, the analysis focuses on a discorso by Bianca Laura Saibante (1723–1797), asking how women from the ancient period functioned as role models within it. The paper further examines: what stories were told (or not told) about women from antiquity; which women were the subject of these stories; how these stories were told and functionalized.
Located on the interface between gender history and the reception of antiquity, the paper analyzes these questions using a case study from the small provincial town of Rovereto, today located in the Italian region of Trentino, but at the time part of Italian-speaking Tyrol within the Habsburg Monarchy. Here, the Accademia Roveretana degli Agiati (literally, the ‘Rovereto Academy of the Well-to-do’) was founded in 1750. Within a short space of time, this learned society developed into a regional node for intellectual exchange between the (German-speaking) North and the (Italian-speaking) South. Above all, in the first years of its existence, the academy demonstrated its vibrancy in monthly meetings, during which members presented their poetic and literary works, as well as philosophical and scientific studies. At such meetings, Bianca Laura Saibante, who was significantly involved in the academy’s foundation, regularly presented her poems and novellas to her mainly male colleagues. Between 1753 and 1759, she also offered her philosophical and historical reflections on gender-specific topics that are of particular interest to us, namely on the duties and characteristics of women or on the relationship between the sexes. In order to provide demonstrative material for her arguments, she continuously referred to female figures from antiquity. Analyzing this appropriation of women from antiquity as role models in more detail, the paper focuses on one of these lectures by Bianca Laura Saibante, which dealt with the topic of ‘womanly pride’. In impressive fashion, Saibante interlaced her discourse with stories about women from antiquity, who she invoked either as (negative) examples of female arrogance or as (positive) role models for overcoming the dangers of pride. At the same time, she consciously appealed to men to concern themselves with women’s education. (Show less)
Frances Pinnock :
The Teaching of History and Geography in Italian Schools, or the Creation of Stereotypes
The presence of the ancient Near East in the Italian school-texts is a problem. The process of formation of the school programs was a long one, and it is not yet accomplished. The post-unitarian political setting aimed at creating a feeling of national unity and at justifying the imperialist expansion ... (Show more)The presence of the ancient Near East in the Italian school-texts is a problem. The process of formation of the school programs was a long one, and it is not yet accomplished. The post-unitarian political setting aimed at creating a feeling of national unity and at justifying the imperialist expansion of the kingdom. The fascist era witnessed the exaltation of these two feelings and, as a matter of fact, the history and geography school-texts created during these periods were used, with a very few amendments, until the Sixties of last century, whereas the recent proposals of reform did not completely succeed. In the literature for children and teen-agers the influence was quite strong, for a long time, on the one hand of the “Thousand and One Nights”, based on the 18th century French version by Galland, and, on the other hand, of the books by Emilio Salgari, who never travelled outside Italy. The result is that the image of the ancient Near East – and in general of the ancient world – is mainly based on stereotypes. Today other contemporary stereotypes are superimposed on the old ones in a mechanical and superficial way, as a response to the need to rebalance the judgements about the “other” – as a consequence of the strong presence of persons of foreign descent in pur schools – and to the need to make into account also the question of gender. (Show less)
Kordula Schnegg :
Teaching Females to be Good Wives and Mothers: Cornelia and the Enlightenment of Europe
Cornelia (2nd BC), daughter of Scipio Africanus, the victor over Hannibal, wife of Ti. Sempronius Gracchus and mother of the Ti. and C. Sempronius Gracchus, the so-called social reformers, is already described as a role model for women in the ancient sources. Her loyalty to her husband and her commitment ... (Show more)Cornelia (2nd BC), daughter of Scipio Africanus, the victor over Hannibal, wife of Ti. Sempronius Gracchus and mother of the Ti. and C. Sempronius Gracchus, the so-called social reformers, is already described as a role model for women in the ancient sources. Her loyalty to her husband and her commitment to the education of her sons are particularly highlighted. Literary tradition makes Cornelia a timeless and ahistorical exemplum for women, who had to be prepared for the social roles as wife and mother.
The contribution will examine writings of different genres, which refer to Cornelia and which use the ancient figure for female education. The question how the concepts of disciplinary incorporated Cornelia will be treated. Therefor a special focus is put on the norms based on gender, class and ethnicity.
At the present the corpus of sources is defined. But the analysis will start with German-language publications from the 19th and 20th century, for example:
• J. Soergel, Cornelia die Mutter der Gracchen. Ein römisches Frauenbild, Erlangen 1868.
• Die guten Cornelia-Romane (1949 to 1958)
• Cornelia (Journal, 19th century). (Show less)
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