Perspectives on Feminist Political Thought in European History: 1400-2000

Spanning six centuries of political thought in European history, this book puts the ideas of thinkers from Christine de Pizan to Simone de Beauvoir in the broader contexts of their time. This intriguing collection of essays shows that feminism is not a varient of modern radical discourse but a mode of analysing the issues of authority, power and virtue that have been at the heart of European political thought from the middle ages. Conventional histories of political thought have sometimes relegated feminist thinking to the footnotes. However, feminism is and should remain central to key notions of modern political discourse such as autonomy, liberty and equality. Also, feminist discussion of morality has much to add to major currents in political thought such as republicanism, civic humanism, and romanticism. Aiming to situate feminist ideas within the broader contexts of their time, this important volume spans six centuries of European history, and ranges from the political thought of Christine de Pizan to that of Simone de Beauvoir. This intriguing collection of essays shows that feminism truly is not a mere variant of modern radical discourse. Rather, it is evinced to be a significant mode of analyzing the issues of authority, power and virtue that have been at the heart of European political thought from the middle ages. Spanning six centuries of political thought in European history, this book puts the ideas of thinkers from Christine de Pizan to Simone de Beauvoir in the broader contexts of their time. Conventional histories of political thought have sometimes relegated feminist thinking to the footnotes. This text considers how feminism is central to key notions of modern political discourse such as autonomy, liberty and equality, and feminist discussions of morality have been linked to major currents in political thought such as republicanism, civic humanism and romanticism. This collection of essays aims to show that feminism is not a variant of modern radical discourse but is a mode of analyzing the issues of authority, power and virtue that have been at the heart of European political thought from the Middle Ages. Spanning six centuries of political thought in European history, this book outs the ideas of thinkers from Christine de Pizan to Simone de Beauvoir in the broader context of their time.