Historical Context

A chilling investigation into the 1990 murder of Keri Sullivan, exploring the cultural obsession with violence against women, the failures of the justice system, and the psychological toll on survivors and investigators.

Veteran financial journalist Josie Cox's groundbreaking work telling the story of how women have fought for financial freedom and the social and political hurdles that have kept them from equality. From WWII 'Rosies' to the investor who broke into the New York Stock Exchange boys' club, this work chronicles centuries of women's relentless struggle for money and power, while revealing challenges women still face today.

Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen unveils the collective medical history of women, exploring how medicine has long misunderstood women's bodies and how these historical oversights continue to affect women's health today.

New York Times bestselling historical novelist Philippa Gregory's magnum opus - a groundbreaking feminist nonfiction milestone that radically redefines the extraordinary role ordinary women played in British history. Did you know there are more penises than women in the Bayeux Tapestry? That the 1381 Peasants' Revolt was a tax protest started by women? That Darwin believed women would evolve to become inferior? For the first time, placing women - 50% of the population - at center stage of 900 years of English history.

A radical work by Cambridge economist Victoria Bateman, who has appeared naked on TV, stage, art and protests, using body and brain to deliver her message. Questions: Despite feminism's promises, why do women's bodies remain at mercy of state, society and religion? Are sexy and smart mutually exclusive? Traces bodily modesty pendulum from ancient Egypt to present, calling feminists to unite against female body repression.

Award-winning science journalist Angela Saini's groundbreaking exploration challenging assumptions that male dominance is natural to the human species. Through archaeology, scientific research, and global cultural histories, this book reveals how patriarchy emerged around 7,000 years ago, spread through colonialism, and why understanding this history is crucial for achieving genuine gender equality.

A historical action epic directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, starring Viola Davis. Set against the backdrop of the 19th-century West African Kingdom of Dahomey's all-female warrior regiment, the Agojie, following General Nanisca as she trains a new generation of female warriors to defend the kingdom. The film explores important themes of Black female power, African historical narrative, decolonialism, and women's military leadership.

Adapted from Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux's autobiographical novel, following a 23-year-old French university student's desperate and dangerous journey seeking abortion in 1960s France when it was illegal. Directed by Audrey Diwan, this award-winning film deeply explores reproductive autonomy, body politics, class inequality, and women's predicament in patriarchal society, becoming a powerful testimony to contemporary women's rights struggles.

An adaptation of Jane Austen's novel directed by Autumn de Wilde, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The film follows wealthy young woman Emma Woodhouse in Regency-era England as she enthusiastically matchmakes for others, discovering her own true emotions in the process. The director reinterprets this classic literary work with exquisite visual aesthetics and a modern feminist perspective, deeply exploring important themes including female independence, class consciousness, marriage choices, and coming-of-age awakening.

A tropical melodrama about two sisters separated by patriarchal deception, revealing how women’s ambitions, labor, sexuality, and kinship are made invisible in mid-century Brazil.

Writer and director Alfonso Cuarón has described Roma as a love letter to all the women who raised him. It's a beautiful rumination on all the 'hoods' women go through: girlhood, womanhood, motherhood. A domestic drama about a maid and the middle-class family she cares for in Mexico City, the story is told in crisp black-and-white, but it doesn't take long to see that a woman's work never ventures far out of the gray area.

Set in 18th-century British court, the power game between Queen Anne and two women - Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill. This dark comedy explores complex themes of female power, gender politics, female friendship and competition through gorgeous visual style and sharp satire, challenging traditional gender role expectations.

Christienna Fryar’s Oxford lecture compares Ann Pratt and Mary Seacole, returning to Mary Prince and historians’ archival responsibilities.

Iranian-British journalist and filmmaker Sahar Zand reflects on memory and explains how hair-cutting became a visible gesture of mourning and solidarity in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Omani journalist and women's-rights advocate Rafiah Al Talei starts from an election defeat to examine barriers to women's political representation and the symbolic burden placed on female candidates.

Indonesian conservationist Farwiza Farhan shows how women rangers in Aceh use local knowledge, collective patrols and community forestry permits to protect the rainforest and water their village depends on.

Feminism in India founder Japleen Pasricha offers an accessible movement history while arguing that contemporary feminism must confront caste, class, sexuality, religion, and digital power together.

An Ohio State teaching video introduces Heian court literature through Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon. It is an accessible orientation, best paired with close reading on language, class, and historical difference.