History & Biography
From monarchs to military heroes, notorious to unsung, we’ll feature biographies and research on women who history labelled dangerous.
Want to shine the spotlight on a dangerous woman from times gone past? See our submissions page for contribution guidelines.
Lumina Sophie dite Surprise
Vanessa Lee writes about Lumina Sophie dite Surprise, a woman whose spark ignited others in the 19th century French West Indies.
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The New Woman Discourses of the Fin de Siècle
Laurie Garrison writes about lesbians depicted in New Woman writing, and how the perspective on women loving women changed throughout this stand of writing.
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Yewande Omotoso writes about dangerous women in her family: her mother, her grandmother, her aunts, and, perhaps, herself.
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“A Woman’s Place is in Antarctica”
Listen to these fascinating audio recordings of geologist Janet Thomson, the BAS’s first female scientist allowed to work in the Antarctic.
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A poem by Irene Hossack
Poet and Creative Writing teacher Irene Hossack responds to the news of Margaret Thatcher’s death with her poem ‘Obituary’
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Lilian Lenton
“Whenever I see an empty house I burn it.” (Lilian Lenton, quoted in Votes for Women: The Virago Book of Suffragettes, ed. by Joyce Marlow)
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Dangerous ‘Chick Lit’
“My favourite dangerous woman in the ancient world is Thecla. Thecla is quite a gal – part Xena warrior princess, part Saint, dispensing alms to the poor.”
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A research team in Australia has been uncovering the hidden histories of pioneer women lawyers, and have mounted an online exhibition.
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Daisy Bates: “acquainted with 115 languages of Australia” and… a liar. Lauren Gawne examines a dangerous figure in Australian language study.
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