IMC 2021: Sessions

Session 708: Noblewomen Network, III: Female Agency

Tuesday 6 July 2021, 14.15-15.45

Sponsor:	Noblewomen Network
Organisers:	Harriet Kersey, School of Humanities, Canterbury Christ Church University Charlotte Pickard, Centre for Continuing & Professional Education, Cardiff University
Moderator/Chair:	Emma Cavell, Department of History, Swansea University
Paper 708-a	In Her Own Words: Margaret Paston's Agency in 15th-Century Norfolk (Language: English) Mikee Delony, Department of Language & Literature, Abilene Christian University, Texas Index terms: Gender Studies, Women's Studies
Paper 708-b	The Heiress and Her Agency (Language: English) Alheydis Plassmann, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaft, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Index terms: Gender Studies, Politics and Diplomacy, Women's Studies
Paper 708-c	The Death of a Husband, the Birth of a Leader: Christine de Pizan's Agency and Influence (Language: English) Abby McGovern, Department of World Languages & Cultures, Albright College, Pennsylvania Index terms: Language and Literature - French or Occitan, Language and Literature - Spanish or Portuguese, Women's Studies
Abstract	Women frequently had to negotiate the intersection between society's expectations and their lived experience - at times working against the roles traditionally ascribed to them. Noblewomen occupied a unique position in society which, arguably, afforded them greater agency and access to power. And yet, they too had to navigate boundaries, often pushing beyond what was perceived to be the norm. Considering the theme of agency, this session draws on material from northern Europe.