From nuns and ‘witches’ to noblewomen and sex workers, this course will explore women’s lives and experiences in early modern Italy between 1500 and 1700. Together, we will examine how gender and sexual constructs influenced the lives of women in a variety of settings, including the home and the urban streets. Using concepts of gender, sexuality, and religious confession, we will untangle these definitions to understand how class, gender roles, and religion shaped everyday society in the Italian peninsula.
We will examine various translated primary sources, including court records, magical spells, and writings by and about women. Analyzing objects of material culture will also enrich our understanding of how diverse women navigated societal pressures in varied ways. This course will take an interdisciplinary approach using secondary sources from art history, religious studies, and legal history to interpret this evidence.
This approach will allow students to develop their own research questions and employ historical evidence in their writing.
