Review of: Jacqueline Broad, Karen Green: A History of Women’s Political Thought in Europe, 1400–1700. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2009.

Abstract

The collected volume at hand introduces mostly well-known authors from the early modern era – such as Christine de Pizan, Marie de Gournay, or Mary Astell – from the new perspective of the political history of ideas. The presentation of a European perspective suggested by the book’s title is, however, missing; the volume examines only English and French authors. The question as to which advantages are offered by the approach from the perspective of women’s and not gender history is answered only unsatisfactorily. Therefore, the book serves at best as an initial introduction to a field that needs further examination.