CLASSICAL LEADERSHIP AND WOMEN

In an evolving world where women are taking ever more visible and traditional leadership roles, it is valuable to find examples of women leaders of the past and their methodologies, challenges, and accomplishments. This module set out to take gendered leadership from the perspective of the female, yet a major issue soon became apparent--none exists.

The paucity of women in leadership roles in the ancient world is telling. It requires a broadening of the word "leadership" and the definition thereof to find examples. Even more telling is the fact that most examples come from myth, not real-world situations. Then, to effectively examine female leadership in the ancient world, we must examine the negative space, and the volumes it can tell us about differences in leadership for both women and men. In other words, accept and critically examine the situation--the lack of voice--rather than take the flawed examples as final truth. Three subversive, or inverse, ideas are here offered to guide you through this module:


1. Any historic perspectives are male in authorship. It is difficult to understand the true character and accomplishments of women leaders, when they are immediately tainted by a layer of fiction, or separation, just by virtue of this fact.

2.Even in traditional structures of power, women have assigned roles, and misunderstandings regarding female agency in power abound. Crumbs of leadership are not leadership. Visibility does not equal empowerment, nor does one female ruler or authority figure suggest a broader cultural laxation of gender designations nor paradigm shifts.

3. When women are praised in the ancient world, is it because they are acting contrary to their gender, or because of it? Is a female leader being praised for being a female leader, or for being a female leader who is acting like a male leader? How often do women leaders have to become "male" in order to legitimize their leadership?
This module will explore questions over the course of two tracks: Mythic Woman and Historic Woman. The Bonus Track section will present cover perhaps the broadest question of all--can there be a discussion of leadership without gender, and if so, would it be a productive one?The Bonus Track will present readings on anthropological theories regarding gender, and ask a number of critical questions for further reflection and study regarding the larger social, economic, and humanistic ideologies and trends which undercut all discussions of gendered leadership.
Finally, the B-Side contains a selection of articles and op-ed pieces relating to the recent American Presidential Election, with articles focusing on the gender issues both within the campaigns and in the surrounding culture of the time, and ask the reader to think critically about the conscious, and sub-conscious, gender-related issues that may have affected the outcome of the election.

Because questions of gender, let alone gender in leadership, have more questions than answers, this model is designed to be based more on critical questions and thinking than heavy text, and intended to be absorbed over the course of a few weeks. Furthermore, discussions of appearance and leadership are not included in the module. For teachers, and other educators and mentors of young girls, the two tracks can be seen as guides to consider the issues facing future leaders today, what issues may arise in your teaching, and prompt your own preparation in thinking about the underlying questions about the challenges and special considerations women in leadership roles face. A scalable activity module is suggested at the end of the B-Side track.