Cartesian Feminism and Women Cartesians

Workshop “Cartesian Feminism and Women Cartesians”

Human Abilities Center, Berlin (Schönhauser Allee 10-11, 10119 Berlin, Germany)

October 11th – 12th, 2025

Organizers: Luce deLire, Pedro Pricladnitzky, Ariane Schneck

This workshop aims at discussing thinkers who have argued (proto-)feministically based on Descartes, as well as women philosophers who have dealt with other aspects of Descartes' philosophy. The objective is to bring their engagement with Descartes - and Cartesianism more broadly defined - up for discussion and in so doing also show new ways of integrating these thinkers and topics into the so-called “canon.”

Hybrid event: In person-participation or online-participation via Zoom possible (please register here: [email protected] by September 26th 2025 and indicate whether you would like to participate in person or via Zoom).

Day 1 (Saturday, October 11th):  

9.15  am-9.30 am: Welcome Note and Introduction

9.30 am-10.45 am: Keynote 1: Sarah Hutton (University of York): “Women, Feminism and Descartes: Cartesian Natural Philosophy and its Reception among Women” 

10.45 am-11 am: Short Coffee Break

11 am-12.15 pm: Luce deLire (Humboldt University Berlin): “Tribades, Sodomites, Hermaphrodites - and Descartes”

12.15 pm-1.45 pm: Lunch Break

1.45 pm-3 pm: Pedro Pricladnitzky (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile): “Émilie Du Châtelet’s Reception of Cartesian Philosophy of Nature” (talk via Zoom)

3 pm-4.15 pm: Julie Walsh (Wellesley College): “Gabrielle Suchon on Property”

4.15 pm-4.45 pm: Coffee break

4.45 pm-6 pm: Ariane Schneck (American University in Cairo): “Adaptive Preferences and Autonomy in Poulain de la Barre and Suchon”

Day 2 (Sunday, October 12th): 

9.30 am-10.45 am: Keynote 2: Marie-Frédérique Pellegrin (Université Grenoble-Alpes): “The Female Body in Poulain de la Barre - Inheritance or Betrayal of Cartesian Thought?“

10.45 am-11 am: Short Coffee Break

10 am-12.15 pm: Martina Reuter (University of Jyväskylä): "Poulain de la Barre on Prejudice and Epistemic Emotions" 

12.15 pm-1.45 pm: Lunch Break

1.45 pm-3 pm: Leonardo Moauro (Humboldt University Berlin): “Cartesian Minds in Prejudiced Societies: Poulain de la Barre and Astell on Prejudice and Custom”

3 pm-4.15 pm: Manuel Fasko (University of Basel): “Strictures and Empowerment of the Cartesian Mind” 

4.15 pm-4.45 pm: Coffee break

4.45 pm-6 pm: Mary McDonald (University of Jyväskylä): “From Rationality to Monstrosity: A Montaignian Alternative to Cartesian Feminism”

6 pm-6.15 pm: Farewell Note

The workshop is funded by the Bielefeld based sub-project "New Voices in the Canon" (led by Michaela Rehm) of the "Iconoclasm" joint project that aims at increasing the visibility of women in philosophy (https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/670560.html) and supported by the Human Abilities Center in Berlin.