Defining Womankind with Christine de Pizan – Ana Rieger Schmidt

Have you seen the new Springer volume “Teaching Women Philosophers”? Ana Rieger Schmidt’s chapter Defining Womankind with Christine de Pizan explores Pizan’s humanistic work, showcasing her arguments on women’s intellect and agency in medieval society:

The paper has two main objectives: firstly, we contextualize the Parisian humanist intellectual background where the medieval secular philosopher Christine de Pizan lived and wrote. Secondly, we reconstruct the refutative arguments developed in The Book of the City of Ladies, seeking to show that feminine nature is fully compatible with all the virtues to the same extent as men’s nature. Pizan concludes that women reflect the perfection of their Creator, meaning that women’s more fragile physical constitution does not limit the rational component of the soul, which must be equally present in men and women.

Interested? You can find out more about Ana’s contribution or the Springer book here.

 

 

Ana Rieger Schmidt received her Master’s Degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Paris IV – Sorbonne. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Her main area of research is the History of Medieval Philosophy. She is currently working on the philosophical import of medieval thinker Christine de Pizan (1363-1430), the philosophical sources of her thought, its reception as well as the evaluation of the intellectual context among Parisian humanists at the beginning of the 15th century. She is interested in the recovery of women philosophers and the expansion of the canon, focusing on the medieval period.

Personal Website: www.professor.ufrgs.br/anariegerschmidt

Contact: ana.rieger@gmail.com

 

Ana Rieger Schmidt is also a member of New Voices, a network that supports emerging scholars in the field of philosophy. It connects scholars interested in the history of women philosophers, gender theory, and feminist perspectives. By joining New Voices, you gain access to networking opportunities, interdisciplinary dialogue, and the chance to showcase your research in a community committed to expanding the philosophical canon.

Explore more about New Voices and how to join!

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