Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The long nineteenth century spans a host of important philosophical movements: romanticism, idealism, socialism, Nietzscheanism, and phenomenology, to mention a few. Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Marx are well-known names from this period. This, however, was also a transformative period for women philosophers in German-speaking countries and contexts. Their works are less well known yet offer stimulating and pathbreaking contributions to nineteenth-century thought. In this period, women philosophers explored a wide range of philosophical topics and styles. Throughout the movements of romanticism, idealism, socialism, and phenomenology, women philosophers helped shape philosophy’s agenda and provided unique approaches to existential, political, aesthetic, and epistemological questions. While during the nineteenth century women continued to be (largely) excluded from formal education and positions, they developed ways of philosophizing that were accessible, intuitive, and activist in spirit. The present volume makes available to English-language readers––often for the first time––the works of nine significant women philosophers, with the hope of stimulating further interest in and scholarship on their works. The editors’ introductions offer a comprehensive overview of the contributions of women philosophers in the period as well as to individual figures and movements. The translations are furnished with explanatory footnotes and are designed to be accessible to students as well as scholars.