By Maxwell Wilkens
From Ancient Rome to Georgian England to 19th century America, women have rebelled against patriarchy and influenced politics in many historical eras. UCSB’s honors history students Cole Grissom, Madeline Josa, and Raana Naghieh spoke on this theme at a recent panel titled “Women and Politics Across Time and Space,” kicking off a colloquium hosted by the History department.
Over the span of two quarters, Grissom, Josa, and Naghieh worked with history department faculty mentors to develop their senior honors projects. “A senior honors thesis is, without question, no small feat,” said honors project director Debra Blumenthal. “It takes vision, but – often more importantly – commitment and stamina.”
The senior honors students were welcomed to the colloquium by Stephan Meischer, chair of the History department. “You are the best of our department,” Meischer said. “It’s a real honor to be here this morning and listen to you learn about your work.” The event featured four panels with a total of 11 Honors students presenting.
Here is a report of the opening panel of this year’s honors history colloquium.
Cole Grissom. “Severing the Old Order: The Involvement of Women in the Politics of Ancient Rome’s Severan Dynasty.”
History honors student Cole Grissom said that the Severan Dynasty, founded in 193 A.D., kicked off a new era in Ancient Rome where women could participate in politics.
During the Ancient Roman Empire’s first few centuries, politics were mostly dominated by men. But the Severan Dynasty kicked off a new era in the second century, when women got involved with Roman diplomacy, said Cole Grissom.
In fact, women were involved in Severan politics from the very beginning of the dynasty. In a period when ancient Rome was entrenched in civil war, the wife of the founder of the dynasty – Septimius Severus – helped him seize control of the empire in 193 A.D.
Septimius’ wife, Julia Domna, was an important figure that allowed him to stay in power. “Septimius relied upon her for advice and as propaganda support,” Grissom said. She was given the honorary title “Mother of the Army Camps,” which was to intimidate any challengers to the dynasty’s authority.
Even after Septimius’ death, Domna continued to play an important role in politics when Septimius’ son Caracalla took over as emperor. “Domna would live thereafter for years, holding an important position of filtering through correspondents, thus controlling what the emperor did and didn’t see,” Grissom said.
It is uncertain whether Roman women would have exercised so much control over the young, male emperors of future dynasties if not for the precedent set by Julia Domna. “It’s useful to remember that having an impact on history isn’t something limited to kings, emperors or generals,” Grissom said. “Oftentimes, the people that surround them have just as much – sometimes, even more – of an impact.”
Madeline Josa. “Ladies Magazines: Women’s Fashion as Politics in Georgian England.”
In early 19th century England, magazines like “La Belle Assemblée” updated women on the latest fashion trends and aesthetic crazes. But these publications were also platforms where women could covertly comment on the British monarchy, said Madeline Josa.
“They allowed women to break into and engage with the male public sphere of politics while still remaining in the accepted realm of feminized space,” Josa said.
The wardrobe choices of 19th century royals Queen Charlotte and Princess Charlotte were featured annually in “La Belle Assemblée.” Queen Charlotte’s fashion statements often fell victim to scathing criticism.
“These ladies’ magazines did not feel obligated to express their support for the monarchy,” said Josa. “They could express their own ideas and beliefs with this much wider female audience.”
“La Belle Assemblée” was so influential that Queen Charlotte and Princess Charlotte even wore things, knowing they would be reported on, in order to further their personal political agendas, Josa said. At a birthday celebration, Queen Charlotte wore a dress made of fabric produced exclusively in Britain, a detail which was reported in “La Belle Assemblée.”
Queen Charlotte may have hoped that her fashion choice would encourage readers to buy domestic fabrics and boost the nation’s textile industry. “These magazines were a way to express political beliefs, but also a tool that women in power could use to express their own politics,” said Josa.
Without magazines like “La Belle Assemblée,” the role of women in English politics would have been uncertain. “It was an entirely feminine space, so they were allowed to engage in politics in this way, creating a female public sphere,” Josa said.
Raana Naghieh. “Dudes, Prudes, and Statute Moralists Had Better Not Read This: PR, Feminism, and Nineteenth Century ‘Sex Radicalism.’”
Victoria Woodhull is best known for being the first woman to run for president in the United States. But she began her feminist career as a journalist, reporting on upper-class infidelity, to champion ideas of free love, said Raana Naghieh.
In 1872, Woodhull was sailing troubled waters. The newspaper company she ran was out of money, and she was drowning in controversy because she publicly admitted to having multiple romantic partners at the same time. But she had a solution to restore her reputation.
Woodhull had found out that a well-respected public figure, Henry Ward Beecher, was having an affair with the wife of the highly-renowned Theodore Tilton. “Woodhull was enraged at this because both of these men publicly claimed that they were progressives…but they always publicly drew the line at free love,” said Naghieh. “She knew that if she positioned herself correctly, she stood to benefit massively from revealing this scandal.”
She dedicated her November 2nd edition of “Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly” to the scandal. Woodhull ended up selling over 150,000 copies and achieved an important victory for feminists all the while.
“She published this article in order to get people to read her newspaper and understand that the best and brightest of New York City were already practicing free love,” said Naghieh. “Hence, free love was the answer.”
The impact of Woodhull on feminist movements can still be felt in the modern era. “Clearly we have a long way to go, and these women started that fight for us,” Naghieh said.
Maxwell Wilkens is a third-year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in Communication and Music Studies. He is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.