THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN'
TRACK ONE - HISTORIC WOMAN
I’m Every Woman: What are the common traits between historic women leaders? How did they consolidate and establish their right to rule or, in the case of non-leadership roles, find their empowered voice and authority, and maintain that authority? Are there any common patterns to be found?
Man! I Feel Like a Woman: is it possible to escape the male perspective?
If I Were a Boy: Is femininity a help or hindrance in leadership settings?
I'M EVERY WOMAN
Each Woman in this section was a leader at some point in her life. Each woman begins with a description of her life, person, or activities by an ancient source, alongside point/counterpoint articles regarding her, or an issue or figure related to her in the modern world.
As you read through the sections, use the questions below to customize a template for a compare and contrast list of leadership as it relates to these women in particular, and female leadership in general. Choose the questions of most interest to you:
How did each come in to power?
Did she face adversity in claiming this power? Was this adversity internal, or external?
What were her major accomplishments?
is she defined by her relationships, or lack thereof? (Romantic, filial, maternal--all manner of relationships)
How do ancient primary sources regarding her life portray her?
What can these say about gendered power in the ancient world?
If this woman were alive today, would she face the same adversities and issues? Why or why not?
Do you consider this woman a "good" leader? Why or why not?
Boudica
Boudica is one of the British Isles' most enduring legends. Following her husband's death, Rome refused to recognize his Will and annexed the lands of her tribe. When she resisted, she and her daughters were tortured at the hands of Roman soldiers. The final straw came when the Senator Seneca called in for repayment of unfair debts against her family and clansmen. Boudica took up leadership of her Briton tribe and led a military campaign against the forces of the Roman Empire in a violent protest of their mistreatment. Almost mythological in scope, her story, and a selection of her speeches, are found in Tacitus (Cut One) and Cassius Dio (Cut Two). Read Cut Three for a modern discussion concerning how both of these men's treatment of her in their writings may have been presenting an admiring and sympathetic view of the warrior. Do you agree with this assessment of Tacitus and Dio's treatment of her? Do you believe their representation of Boudica is equitable and accurate? Has her subsequent mythologization helped gain her more respect, or has it made her into a parody of herself and devalued her mission and values?
Live Track:
As you read Tacitus' version of her speech, pay close attention to the times where Boudica--a woman--mocks the Roman legions as being effeminate. Do you believe these words are a reflection of Boudica, or are they more a reflection of the men who second-hand recorded her speech? Assume each one is true in turn, does this alter your perceptions regarding her femininity in her leadership at all, or her as a woman in general? What does this say about entanglement of gender and sexuality stereotypes, and do you think this is still an issue in leadership today?
Cleopatra
Synonomous with decadence, seduction, and political manipulation, Cleopatra's name holds a uniquely stereotyped place in imaginations both past and present. Though objective facts regarding her life and actions are sparse, her portrayal in a number of ROman sources are rich in information regarding the views of powerful women, political corruption, and progaganda. As you read, pay close attention to her portrayal by Plutarch, and compare it to how she is described by Suetonius, and Cassius Dio. Finally, spend time in Cut Three, which "myth-busts" this brilliant and enigmatic woman. Which version of Cleopatra do you believe to be the most accurate, and why?
Live Track:
As you read Plutarch, mark a sheet of paper with sections for Cleopatra, Octavia, and Fulvia. All three were mothers, all three were married to the same powerful and seductive man--and all three took a side role and played to a specific purpose in a narrative constructed with political and propagandistic purpose. Under each woman's column write down your thoughts on the following:
How does each woman defy or uphold the ideal visions of the role of womanhood in Ancient Rome?
How does each woman's portrayal play into the political climate of the time?
Does any woman have true agency or power? Why or why not?
In terms of narrative, how does each woman's relationship to, and influence on, Antony reinforce BOTH masculine and feminine gender roles in relation to leadership?
Are these woman characters, or are they actual people? How damaging is it to women of power in the ancient world, or modern, when they become characters to be used in the story of man, regardless of their own independent worth, power, and/or station? Can you think of any examples in modern political discourse of a female spouse or partner being used to uphold the image or career of a man in power? Does the inverse apply to male partners when the female is the one in power?
Hatshepsut
The first "woman pharaoh" (but maybe not the only--see "If I Were a Boy"), Hatshepsut is infamous and held as a feminist hero of female authority in the ancient world. Cuts One through Three discuss her history and story, alongside a selection of images of this unique ruler. Egypt has been held up as one of the most liberated and progressive ancient cultures in terms of female rights. Egyptian women could own property, inherit, initiate divorce, own businesses, seek abortions and birth control with little or no ramifications, and held exceptional authority in religious and socio-political institutions. Yet even in this relatively gender-friendly society, observe how Hatshepsut represented herself both contemporarily and to future generations--as a man. Read the articles under Cut Four for modern discussions regarding her representation in art and records.
Olympias of Macedonia
Though perhaps better known for her adjacency to her infamous son--Alexander the Great--Olympias of Macedon is remembered as a shrewd yet cold, calculating woman. She was also, however, a very powerful one. Though officially serving as her son's regent, her time in this position was critical to the continuation of the Macedonian Empire during Alexander's exploits abroad. Read Cut One for a description of Olympias by Plutarch. Cut Two contains a modern analysis of her role.
Live Cut:
As you read her story, actively compare her to another woman left behind for decades without a patriarch--Penelope of the Odyssey--as a cultural example of the proper conduct and behavior of a woman who cannot officially hold the kingship, yet who must hold her society together--literally, metaphorically, or both--by default. Consider how the two women are similar, and different.
Artemisia of Halicarnassus.
A Greek Woman who would go on to become one of Xerxes I's most prolific military leaders in his invasion of Second Invasion of Greece in 480 BCE, Artemisia provides an astonishing case study of a female military leader in the ancient world, personally commanding her city-state's fleet in the Battles of Artemesium and Salamis. Complicating the issue further is her siding against her own culture in the conflict. Her story can be found in Cut One, Herodotus, and a discussion of the use of a woman leader in the Persian army and the implications for male and female, private vs. public leaders, in the Ancient World, in Cut Two:
Live Cut:
As you read, consider her as both a Queen and as a General. Do women in leadership roles in a military context face different leadership challenges than those in political or social leadership roles?
And So On:
Choose a later female leader (from Medieval times or onward) as a case study. The only criteria is that this person was a) female and b) held direct, legitimate power as a political sovereign, military or religious figure, or social leader. Examine her struggles and accomplishments. Are the struggles the same as those of ancient female leaders, or are there new issues and perspectives? Why?
Then consider this final question: Do you think that female struggles in leadership are universal both temporally and spatially? Or are they truly unique to their time, geography, and culture?
MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN
As you read through the Cuts of I'm Every Woman, it may have become apparent to you that none of the voices we have were the woman's own. Indeed, not only in some cases were their stories filtered through decades, or even centuries, but even before this issue they were filtered through a man.
The truth is that, with rare exception, every portrait of a an ancient woman leader we possess has been told by someone not only outside of herself, but entirely outside of her experience as well. When focusing on issues of gender, what does this do to the narrative, to be forced to analyze one gender through the voice and lens of the opposing one?
First, read Cut One-this essay by XXX regarding the issues with truth in biography. Ancient Biographies are exceptionally tricky in this issue, as even modern biographies of living individual are often hotly debated in terms of the lines between fact and fiction, narrative and bias. In regarding these ancient sources as biographers of these women, an extra layer of confusion is added. Do the ideas posed in this essay change your perceptions of historic biographies at all? Do you think something is lost or gained when you read biographies of ancient women leaders consciously aware of the fact that male writers in highly misogynistic societies were writing them? Do you think this changes with the narratives about modern women leaders?
Then, read the following descriptions of "gender relation issues" by ancient sources. What do you notice about these views? What biases/sterotypes, and truths, do they show?
Finally, Cut Three--an excerpt from a book on gender relations in ancient Athens by Eva M Keuls. Then, watch the below video on the making of the HBO Series "Rome." What do you think about the filmmaker's perceptions of female agency and leadership in the time of the late Republic? Is behind the scenes power real power? Do you "buy" this version of gender politics? Why or why not? DO you believe your own gender identification influences your opinion?
IF I WERE A BOY
In concordance with the theme of examine the negative spaces of our evidence, we must flip the gender card over in order to highlight our assumptions and preconceived beliefs.
This Track can be summed up with one simple question--if this action, behavior, etc. was performed by a man, would it have been seen differently by her contemporaries? Would WE see it differently?
How about the women leaders who actually became male, at least symbolically, in order to legitimize their rule? In Egypt, for example, a number of women rulers existed, or are believed to have been female by modern scholars.
Read the accounts of their lives below, and consider how to be female rulers, these women had to become male.
What does this tell us about gendered leadership?