Overview

Women do have a history of their own. All we need to do is remember it. In this illuminating new history, Christine Lehnen looks back at our collective memory to explore the myriad ways that women in the past have enjoyed a more egalitarian life. Due to advances in bioarchaeological methods, scientists have discovered that one out of three women in Ancient Scythia was an active warrior buried with her weapons. Far from being confined to their homes, these women rode out to hunt, travelled to distance places, or used weapons to fend off their enemies. These warriors were no exceptions to the rule, with women enjoying a significantly higher degree of equality than their Greek contemporaries. Remembering Women argues that there is a historical precedent for a fairer society. From reappraisals of well-known objects such as the earliest human bone calendars from the Stone Age to revelatory findings of innovative bioarcheological methods used on human remains from Ancient Scythia, evidence is accumulating that there were places in the past where all women were allowed to thrive. Interweaving innovative new findings from archaeology with the stories of her mother and grandmothers as well as her everyday experiences as a woman living today, Lehnen explores our collective memory of women and argues that it needs to change if we are to create an egalitarian society. Remembering Women follows the traces left in the material, literary, and archaeological record by our foremothers, and uses the heirlooms they have left us in their graves, their artworks, and their stories to take a fresh look at our life in the present. AUTHOR: Christine Lehnen is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. She is a regular contributor on feminism, culture, history, archaeology and public memory for outlets such as Aeon, Psyche, The Wire, Antigone, New Lines Magazine, and Deutsche Welle.

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9781837732173

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Reviews

Remembering Women is a truly fascinating book that is subtly radical on every page. Taking a wealth of evidence, Lehnen advocates for us to look again at our history as a source of inspiration to speak out against the status quo. Accessibly written, Lehman vividly brings the women of the past to light. * Caroline Magennis, author of Harpy * In this clever, imaginative and illuminating book Christine Lehnen takes us on a voyage of exploration through the ways in which we have been conditioned to think about the history of women. She demonstrates that there is nothing natural or inevitable about a historical narrative that subordinates women, and in so doing offers a method for reinventing the present via close and careful attention to the past. The result is thought-provoking and moving in equal measure. * Daisy Hay, author of Mr and Mrs Disraeli *

A fascinating, thought-provoking exploration of powerful women's lives in the past and today, showing how important it is that we remember their successes, leadership, independence and equality. * Marion Gibson, author of Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials * Remembering Women is a truly fascinating book that is subtly radical on every page. Taking a wealth of evidence, Lehnen advocates for us to look again at our history as a source of inspiration to speak out against the status quo. Accessibly written, Lehnen vividly brings the women of the past to light. * Caroline Magennis, author of Harpy * In this clever, imaginative and illuminating book, Christine Lehnen takes us on a voyage of exploration through the ways in which we have been conditioned to think about the history of women. She demonstrates that there is nothing natural or inevitable about a historical narrative that subordinates women, and in so doing offers a method for reinventing the present via close and careful attention to the past. The result is thought-provoking and moving in equal measure. * Daisy Hay, author of Mr and Mrs Disraeli * Christine Lehnen's Remembering Women offers a sharp rejoinder to accounts that lament the absence of women from the historical record - arguing that such arguments actually end up shoring up systems of patriarchy. Following an incisive introduction which situates her book within memory studies scholarship, she surveys multiple areas of women's lives and various societies from the ancient past, to demonstrate different ways of being a woman. Above all, Lehnen reminds us, appropriately, that memory is not only about remembering: it is also about remembering, and bringing back, what has been forgotten. * Emily Hauser, author of Mythica *

Author Information

Christine Lehnen is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. She is a regular contributor on feminism, culture, history, archaeology and public memory for outlets such as Aeon, Psyche, The Wire, Antigone, New Lines Magazine, and Deutsche Welle.

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