2023 Octavia Elfrida Saunders Memorial Lecture -- Dr Janina Ramirez 'Lost, Ignored or Destroyed? Rediscovering Medieval Women'

This lecture will draw on Dr Janina Ramirez's (Reader in Art History, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford) best-selling book, Femina, to ask the question: can rediscovering women of the medieval period help shape how we see the present, and build a better future?

Through close examination of artworks, archaeological discoveries, texts and archives, Janina will show how our perception of nearly 1000 years of history has shaped modern attitudes towards gender. Ranging from Britain to Poland, individuals like Hildegard of Bingen, King Jadwiga and the Birka Warrior Woman will reveal a new Middle Ages, rich in individualism, creativity, and diversity.