Evaluating women in Ancient History could be difficult as patriarchal societies limited the representation of women, which resulted in little or biased documentation. Another obstacle was evaluating the accuracy of evaluating the authenticity and accuracy of reported events when there is such limited evidence of certain figures and events in Ancient History . However, regarding the feminist martyr narrative, I was able to evaluate the effects of the representation in martyrdom and how they could be applied to modern feminist narratives. To investigate the significance of the texts of women and martyrdom to values in the Patristic Era of Christianity, I analyzed women in the context of the Roman Empire compared to the Early Christian Church using primary sources. Introducing the consequences of martyrdom, I addressed the etymology of the word “martyr” and the connotations associated with the term. As my primary sources, I used the accounts of Perpetua and Blandina because their narratives were among the most well-known. Studying the divergence of feminine virtues of the Roman Empire and Early Christianity, I explained how the differences influenced the divisions and spread of the Early Christian Church. I also studied the retelling of their stories throughout history, which illustrated society’s expectations of women as opposed to the possible motivations of the martyred women. I discovered that the stories of martyred women were altered throughout history to perpetuate different ideals of femininity but at a closer look, the original narratives depicted a progressive depiction of women. This research exposed how the representation of women could be altered to fit an agenda and revealed the values of the authors of the narratives as well as the surrounding culture. This could be used to evaluate the representation of influential women figures today as well as the consequences of altering feminist narratives.

This paper examines several ancient sources for instances in which figures exhibit disconnection, aversion, or repulsion towards the erotic sphere that is so valued in societies. The paper will mainly focus on two myths: those of Narcissus (as illustrated in Ovid’s Metamorphoses) and Hippolytus (as shown in Euripides’s Hippolytus, Seneca’s Phaedra, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Ovid’s Heroides). In this essay, I argue that these figures can be read as asexual and that their untimely ends were brought about by their refusal to conform to the societal expectations placed on men–often characterized by vigorous sexual appetite, which would eventually lead to a man passing down his bloodline and fulfilling his duty to his oikos. Since myth often reflects real life, and works as a tool people can use to think about themselves, it can be argued that the inclusion of asexual-coded figures supports the contention that the asexual identity has always existed, even if the words to describe it are a more recent development.Therefore, the Narcissus and Hippolytus episodes are valuable pieces of evidence for both ancient and modern discourses of sexuality stepping outside the bounds of allonormativity. From a methodical standpoint, I first analyze the ancient texts, including secondary sources on them, then look at studies and papers on modern-day asexuality and examine the myths through this lens.

Gender identity has become a central issue in ongoing political debates regarding cultural shifts in America. For many, nonbinary and other gender-variant identities seem new and confusing, but there is evidence of these identities stretching back to classical antiquity. The god of wine, madness, and theater, Dionysus, emerges as a consistently gender-variant figure in ancient literature and art. For this project, I examine the construction and performance of Dionysus' gender in antiquity by performing a close nonbinary reading of Euripides' tragic play, the Bacchae, in conversation with current scholarship on gender and sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome. My research seeks to interrogate the appropriateness of applying modern gender-variant labels to antiquity, investigate the ways in which Dionysus both resists and subverts binary gender categorization, and consider what meaning modern nonbinary and gender-variant people can extract from ancient representation. I argue that applying modern gender labels to antiquity aligns with current practices in scholarship regarding binary gender identities. Through a nonbinary lens, I reveal the image of a clearly nonbinary Dionysus who cannot be contained by either ancient or modern gender binaries -- a force of gender chaos. With my critical analysis of the Bacchae, I shed light on new considerations of the motivations behind Dionysus' display of divine wrath and the cultural implications of gender construction and performance in the play. My project finds that nonbinary and gender-variant identities have long existed even in societies that seemingly embrace a gender binary.

On the morning of September 10th, 1990, the body of seventeen-year-old Maria Soledad-Morales was found on the outskirts of San Fernando de Valle, the capital city of Catamarca province in Argentina. What followed in the aftermath of the murder and botched investigation was the Catamarcazo, one of the largest and most publicly salient protest movements in the decades following the Argentinian Dirty War, the military dictatorship that murdered 30,00 people between 1977 and 1983. In this project, I examine genealogies of resistance among women-led protest movements in Argentina from 1977 to 1992 and argue that linkages between movements contributed to a modern Argentinian understanding of gendered violence in the present day. Through analysis of newspapers, interview transcripts, and photographs, I link activist strategies of the 1977 - 1983 Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo with the Catamarcazo movement of 1990 - 1991. I discuss how the Catamarcazo drew and built upon the strategies of Las Madres and introduced consciousness of gendered violence to the Argentinian public in the first nationally acknowledged protest movement centered on violence against women. The purpose of this study is to establish and recognize the continual development of feminist activism within Argentinian history and shed light on the subversive, revolutionary tactics used to combat state repression and gendered violence. By analyzing histories of feminist activism in Argentina, we can gain a greater understanding of how the strategies of feminist movements are built upon and expanded over time, and how the strategies of a past movement can be modified to serve a current movement.

Within the mainstream misogynistic and homophobic narrative of Chinese society, radical feminists and lesbians face significant challenges. But the issues each of these groups face and their communities are separate and seldom intersect. This project addresses this gap between lesbian and feminist communities while aiming to comprehend how individuals within them perceive themselves and each other. It also explores the possibilities for solidarity and greater communication between the lesbian community and the radical feminist community in China. Through interviews with Chinese radical feminists, lesbians, and lesbian feminists, this project aims to bridge the divides between Chinese lesbians and radical feminists and to facilitate discussions about negotiating different aspects of one’s identity.Both lesbians and radical feminists are engaged in reconstructing intimate relationships. With the current rise of feminism in China, lesbians are reevaluating gender roles in intimate relationships. At the same time, some radical feminists are exploring lesbian feminist ideas, such as gender separatism. This project draws on theories from the second wave of the feminist movement in the U.S and queer theories to highlight important conversations in contemporary China with the goal of stimulating discussions on envisioning intimate relations beyond the framework of a heteropatriarchal society. Preliminary analyses of interviews conducted in winter 2023 show that many radical feminists and lesbians have struggled to assert their identities and find belonging in a community. Additionally, the lack of platforms and offline spaces for gender and sexuality communities leads to the isolation of individuals. The project to be presented will offer a more detailed interpretation on the reasons behind such isolation and miscommunication between the two groups. On a broader level, this project aims to offer a perspective on how we can understand the relations between people and power dynamics in this current world.