World Herstory: from the Remedial Herstory Project

In the last third of the 20th century, women around the globe established a transnational feminist movement that transformed both legal measures and popular discourse about women. Women organized in the United Nations, shared strategies, and effected change in their home countries that improved women's lives. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode a...

Following World War II, colonies around the world fought to gain independence from the colonizers. The long journey toward decolonization involved social reform, peaceful and violent protest, and, as always, women were everywhere in this history. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode at: https://www.remedialherstory.com/28-1950-1990-decolonization.html...

Between 1939 and 1950, the world was again at war. World War II transformed women's lives around the world and left their roles forever changed. Women were re-mobilized for war and their anti-war advocacy became even more entrenched. The post war world saw more women in power, and greater emphasis on peace and universal human rights. ​Trigger warning for sexual assault. Find the bibliography,...

Between 1939 and 1950, the world was again at war. World War II transformed women's lives around the world and left their roles forever changed. Women were re-mobilized for war and their anti-war advocacy became even more entrenched. The post war world saw more women in power, and greater emphasis on peace and universal human rights. ​Trigger warning for sexual assault. Find the bibliography,...

Between 1900 and 1930, the world was at war. Between the Russo-Japanese War and World War I, every part of the world was affected. Women at home or on the front played a vital role in fighting for peace, sustaining the war effort, and rebuilding. For women in Russia, the wars resulted in a revolution that promised much and gave them little. In Turkey, the war brought reforms that forced modernizat...

During the imperial era, women were both active agents and survivors of colonialism. European women spread imperial ideas and participated as missionaries, but also struggled against European imperialism. Colonized women also had diverse responses to colonialism, which varied depending on location, class, and local customs.  This section has some heavy moments, so trigger warning for sexual assaul...

The Industrial Revolution brought significant change for women. New procedures for caesarean section advanced medicine and treatment for child birth. Women also began to find new career options and leadership in the workforce, giving them new chances to climb and even dismantle the social ladder. Women also had union labor strikes, and protests for voting rights, signifying the beginning of cultur...

During the West's period of rapid growth and expansion, Asian empires continued to thrive, but pressures to modernize and westernize affected women's lives everywhere. In China and India, the powerful empires provided stability before the gradual decline and intrusion from British imperialism. Japan saw major changes to women's lives and status as it underwent the Meiji Restoration. In...

The Enlightenment is well-known for the philosophical and societal changes it brought to the modern world, and women found their place in this period of rapid change. Great female leaders such as Catherine the Great and Olympe de Gouges inspired women of future suffrage movements and women today. Defying male and societal expectations was a recurring theme during this time.  Find the bibliography,...

The beginning of the slave trade and the events that followed are some of the darkest parts of human history.  The trade touched the lives of women from those who were enslaved, to those such as the Dahomey Amazons.  Trigger warning for discussion of rape and sexual assault. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode at: https://www.remedialherstory.com/21-...

Women in the Americas saw their world altered dramatically as white men from Europe poured onto their shores. They lost their lives to European diseases, their customs, and became integrated into a new social structure, with indigenous people at the bottom. Despite all of that, some aspects of pre-contact life endured. Trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault. Find the bibliography, transc...

The Reformation was a time of great change in Europe for both men and women. While men were at the forefront of change, many women also held positions of power and were influential in the changes taking place during this period. While some women were well-respected, respect was difficult to earn and maintain. Women were often persecuted for speaking out. Needless to say, it was not an easy time to...

While historians’ and geographers’ focus has tended to be on voyages of exploration led by men during the so-called “Age of Discovery,” there were women engaged in the same activity. From Viking women making trailblazing journeys, to European Queens ruling countries and funding expeditions, women played a major role in exploration in this era. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materi...

The “New World” was what those in the Afro-Eurasian nations used to describe the Americas “discovered” or, rather, rediscovered by Columbus in 1492. Even before that, Europeans explored south along the west coast of Africa looking for a sea route to India. Before the arrival of European explorers, the people living in Mesoamerica, Oceania, and Africa had rich cultures and empires with their own ge...

The term “Renaissance Man” brings to mind male artists, musicians, and scientists However, no names of women painters or sculptors are as widely or well known by the public, despite their talents and influence on the cultural landscape of Europe. This section seeks to showcase women's artistic contributions to the renaissance from all over the world. Find the bibliography, transcript. and lear...

Despite the great Chinggis Khan being the focus of past historians of the Mongol Empires between 1200-1400, women played a vital role in the empire’s success. Daughters and Wives of the Khan governed the largest swath of land in world history. Wherever women were, their lives were impacted by the Mongol conquests. Trigger Warning: for rape and sexual assault.  Find the bibliography, transcript. an...

During the Crusades, women took action on the battlefield alongside their male counterparts. In addition, they assumed power in various roles. Their impact on the Crusades was undeniable. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode at: https://www.remedialherstory.com/14-900-1200-crusades.html#/ Support this work at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.remedialherstory.com/...

In Europe and Japan, women labored in cottage industries and were an integral part of rigid caste systems. Lower class women had few rights, while upper class women had a small degree of freedom. In both cases, women found peace in nunneries and a few rose to positions of power. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode at: https://www.remedialherstory.com...

Women are prominent in the history of Islam, from Muhammad's wives to his transformative policies related to women to the way their lives became increasingly restricted as the empire grew. Muslim women rose to leadership positions in the Golden Age and were essential to early Islamic religious thought. Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that support this episode at: http...

All around the world, in the early middle ages, women rose to power-- to the top of the hierarchy. The experiences of these women and those they ruled set precedents that lingered. They ruled differently then men, fought hard to consolidate power, and had to consider carefully how marriage and children would shift their hold on power.  Find the bibliography, transcript. and learning materials that...

The Silk Roads connected people, spread ideas, religions, and commerce, and created empires for those able to control the roads. Women were integral to every aspect of the Roads. Women served as primary producers of crucial items sold and transported along the roads, not withstanding their name sake: Silk. Women literally made it! Women were also sold as brides along the roads to help establish pe...

Monotheism was a liberating and uniting force in most of the western world. This section explores Judaism and Christianity and what they said about women, as well as explores the lives of the founders and the women who are all over those origin stories. As we are focusing on the impact of these faiths on women's status, this section can seem a bit critical, but remember the social experiences...

Women had a prominent role in leadership in Asia, mainly in China during the Han Dynasty. The spotlight is placed among a group of powerful women including the first female monarch, an empress, and a court historian. Learn about how each played a role in their place of power or lived within that environment and what their lives were like during the Han Dynasty.  Find the bibliography, transcript....

Roman history includes many powerful and fascinating women such as. Cleopatra, who helped to define Roman history through her relationships with Roman leaders. The wives of Roman leaders, such as Octavia and Scribonia, as well as their daughters, also played prominent roles in the Empire’s history. Women close to the emperor could manipulate him. Cleopatra was not the only ancient woman to take on...

In Asia, three religious philosophies emerged that would define human lives for millennia to come: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. What do these philosophies have to say about women, and what roles did women play in their founding? This varied from faith to faith, although women feel a bit like an afterthought in each. But women are all over the founding stories and traditions. Find the bibl...