Women have long contributed to the development of theology and philosophy, yet their voices have often been marginalized, mediated through restrictive frameworks, or silenced altogether. At the same time, women have consistently found innovative means of expression — from letters, diaries, and poetry to public lectures, activism, and today’s digital platforms — to engage in theological and philosophical discourse.
This seminar approaches communication not only as a neutral means of expression, but also as a form of power: the choice of medium, style, and platform can grant authority, negotiate legitimacy, or challenge dominant structures. From early modern women writing in private correspondence to contemporary digital influencers shaping theological debates, the act of communication becomes a way to establish intellectual presence, resist exclusion, rethink society, or reshape normative traditions.
The rise of digital culture has introduced new dynamics. Social media, for example, can amplify women’s perspectives and create alternative networks of recognition, while also enabling ideologically charged phenomena — such as the “tradwife” movement — that recast debates about gender, religion, and philosophy. Situating such case studies within longer histories of women’s communicative practices allows us to explore continuities, ruptures, and tensions between tradition, innovation, and the struggle for authority.
The seminar thus invites critical reflections on the interplay of gender, communication, and power, considering both historical trajectories and contemporary challenges. Contributions may address individual thinkers, broader cultural movements, or theoretical frameworks that illuminate how female voices have engaged with and transformed theological and philosophical discourse.

28.04.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Floris Verhaart – Johanna Dorothea Lindenaer: Memoirist, Translator, and Religious Polemicist

Margaret Matthews – Rhetoric, Method, and Genre in Gabrielle Suchon’s Treatise on Ethics and Politics

05.05.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Elodie Pinel – Vernacular Theology and Authority: Marguerite Porete, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Antwerp

Lila Braunschweig – A Voice of One’s Own: Philosophizing as Feminized Subjects (Impostor Syndrome & Authority)

12.05.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Elżbieta Filipow – Women’s Writing of Harriet Taylor Mill and its Various Modes of Self-expression

Shamoni Sarkar – Karoline von Günderrode: Fragmentation, Philosophy, and Early German Romanticism

19.05.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Maxim Demin – Philosophy, God-Seeking, and Developmental Psychology: Stolitsa and Volkovich in Late Imperial Russia

Patricia Guevara Wozniak – The Metaphysical Tenacity of Barbara Skarga – Metaphysics in Totalitarianism

02.06.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Jake Nicholas Brooks – Autonomy Beyond Kant: Butler, Tronto, and Interdependence

Kaimé Guerrero Valencia – Intervening Assemblages of Trans-formation/Action: Beatriz Nascimento (1942-1995)

09.06.2026, 4.30-6pm (Paris time): 2 lectures

Marianne Najm Abou-Jaoude – Beneficent Communication as Power

Roula Azar Douglas – Women’s Digital Voices and the Reconfiguration of Public Debate

For further information about the talks and the speakers, please visit the webpage: https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/new-voices-online-talk-series-female-voices-media-and-modes-of-communication-in-theology-and-philosophy/