The Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day
Why is International Women's Day on March 8th? The answer is much more complicated than you might think.
The Top-Secret Feminist History of Tea Rooms
Nearly all American tea rooms were owned by women. They often opened up rooms in their homes or set up tables in their gardens.
How Sacagawea Became More Than A Footnote
A suffragist searching for a heroine found Sacagawea and lifted her out of historical obscurity.
The Beaufort Botanist and Her “Innocent Diversion”
Despite the twelve volume herbarium she created, this seventeenth-century scientist earned little recognition.
Frida Kahlo’s Forgotten Politics
Museum exhibitions of Frida Kahlo's work tend to focus on her personal style and persona. But Kahlo was intensely political, as were her paintings.
Regulating Sex Work in Medieval Europe
When sex work was considered a "necessary evil," legal brothels provided certain protections for the women who worked there.
Who Was La Malinche?
La Malinche was a key figure in the conquest of the Aztecs. But was she a heroine or a traitor? It depends on whom you ask.
Sorry, but Jane Eyre Isn’t the Romance You Want It to Be
Charlotte Brontë, a woman whose life was steeped in stifled near-romance, refused to write love as ruly, predictable, or safe.
Did Kongolese Catholicism Lead to Slave Revolutions?
The legacy of Kimpa Vita, a Kongolese Catholic mystic, was felt from the U.S. to Haiti.
The Divide in Feminist Ethics on Mothering
In the 1960s, two groups of feminists had very different views about motherhood. Unsurprisingly, race and family played a role.