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Gender and history, new perspectives on the past: Association of Women Historians conference in Pisa on February 2-4, Sant’Anna School women historians bring their expertise

Publication date: 17.01.2017
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The Association of Women Historians 7th Conference will take place on February 2-4 at the university campus of Sant’Anna School, at the Scuola Normale Superiore and at the University of Pisa. The conference represents an opportunity to listen to more than 200 historians from around the world, to learn from recent research on gender and women’s history in Europe, Latin America and Middle East from the ancient times to the present day. On the first day (February 2), Sant’Anna School academics of Dirpolis (Law, Politics, Development) Institute will open the plenary meeting.

Current and recent topics include: analysis of gender differences; gender stereotypes; history of relationships and compromise over sexual matters (from advice column of women’s magazines); gender equality in the workplace (opportunity and remuneration); women’s participation in social movements, governmental organizations, and civil society groups including political parties. The conference will also focus on issues of diversity in children’s literature and how multicultural issues are addressed in children's books. Global issues will be discussed from a historical perspective, as the relationships between Islamic men and women.

Violence against women and violence by intimate partners is still largely concealed and under-reported. Gender-based and domestic violence occur in every country in the world; in fact violence against women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights across the globe. A central piece of the argument is how the "Roman Law" has influenced western society’s social institutions such as the family, and all have assumed patriarchy and male superiority as natural; that is, women (and children and servants) as subordinate individuals within the family in which husbands possess an age-old right to physically punish their disobedient wives. With a few exceptions, as in the 18th century liberal cultural paradigm which lessened the manifestation of patriarchy, where women could obtain a separation order on the grounds of husbands’ persistent cruelty.

The plenary session on Thursday, February 2, will be chaired by Anna Loretoni, professor of Political Philosophy at Sant'Anna School; Barbara Henry, professor of Political Philosophy and Gaetana Morgante, professor of Criminal Law of Sant’Anna School, have been invited to give their views.

The Conference detailed program is available here available here.