5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
(Zoom)
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Title: “First Wave Feminism: Craftswomen in Plato’s Republic”
Abstract: Ancient Athenian women worked in industries ranging from woolworking and food sales to metalworking and medicine; Socrates’ mother was a midwife. The argument for the inclusion of women in the guardian class in book 5 of Plato’s Republic should be read in light of this historical reality, not least because it allows us retain an important manuscript reading and construe the passage as relying on an inductive generalization rather than a possibly circular argument. Yet Plato also fails to fully capitalize on the resources he has—including his commitment to the importance of specialization of labor—which could point to a more egalitarian conclusion than the one he settles on, which regards women as “lesser than” yet “similar to” men.
Respondents: Abigail Breuker (CLST); Luke Lea (CLST)
Image: Caputi Hydria, Vicenza, Banca Intesa Coll. C: 278
