The Concept of Woman, vol. 2: The Early Humanist Reformation, parts 1 & 2
Overview
This seminal work is the second volume of a widely praised study of the concept of woman in the history of Western philosophy. Sister Prudence Allen explores claims about sex and gender identity in the works of over 50 philosophers (both men and women) in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.
For more works on philosophy, check out the Eerdmans Philosophy Collection (6 vols.)
- Explores claims about sex and gender identity
- Unpacks the works of over 50 philosophers in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods
- Includes informative illustrations, helpful summary charts, and extracts of original source material
The Concept of Woman, vol. 2: The Early Humanist Reformation, part 1
- Author: Prudence Allen
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 564
The fruit of ten years' work, this study uncovers four general categories of questions asked by philosophers for two thousand years — the categories of opposites, of generation, of wisdom, and of virtue. Sister Allen traces several recurring strands of sexual and gender identity within this period. Ultimately, she shows the paradoxical influence of Aristotle on the question of woman and on a philosophical understanding of sexual complementarity.
This comprehensive volume comes as close to being an exhaustive treatment of what philosophers and theologians in the High Middle Ages of Christian Europe had to say about women as we are ever likely to get. . . . An invaluable guide to all the philosophical thinking on gender difference in Christian Europe from 1250–1500.
—Catholic Historial Review
The Concept of Woman, vol. 2: The Early Humanist Reformation, part 2
- Author: Prudence Allen
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 634
Touching on the thought of every philosopher who considered sex or gender identity between AD 1250 and 1500, The Concept of Woman provides the analytical categories necessary for situating contemporary discussion of women in relation to men. Adding to the accessibility of this fine discussion are informative illustrations, helpful summary charts, and extracts of original source material (some not previously available in English). Encyclopedic in coverage yet clearly organized and well written, The Concept of Woman will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in a wide range of disciplines.
Sister Prudence Allen's monumental work continues with this remarkable volume. There is no work to compare with hers in its systematicness, intellectual rigor, and scholarly integrity.
—Jean Bethke Elshtain, scholar of religion and political philosophy, University of Chicago Divinity School
An original and brilliant work of scholarship. Charting the emergence of a new ideology of sex/gender in early modern Europe, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of sexuality.
—Diana Robin, University of New Mexico
Prudence Allen is professor of philosophy at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. She has spent more than 25 years engaged in research on the concept of woman in relation to the concept of man in philosophy.