Her Place in Theory

In this episode, Juliette Marchant is joined by Lydia Moland, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy at Colby College, to uncover the extraordinary—and often forgotten—story of Helene Stöcker, a trailblazer of early 20th-century feminism.

Stöcker championed sexual reform, reproductive freedom, and radical pacifism, and pushed for a “new ethic” she believed could reshape society from the inside out. Moland walks us through Stöcker’s bold readings of Nietzsche, her fight for gender equality and social justice, and her fierce resistance to rising nationalism and militarism before World War II. It’s a conversation about a visionary thinker whose ideas feel strikingly urgent today.

Texts Referenced in the episode:

Lydia Maria Child : A Radical American Life - Lydia Moland

The Oxford Handbook of American and British Women Philosophers in the Nineteenth Century - Edited by Lydia Moland and Alison Stone

The Oxford Handbook of Nineteenth-Century Women Philosophers in the German Tradition - Edited by Kristin Gjesdal and Dalia Nassar

In this episode of Her Place in Theory, Juliette Marchant is joined by Shterna Friedman, Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University, for a conversation about the life and legacy of Hanna Pitkin.

They explore Pitkin’s transformative account of political representation, her nuanced and sometimes puzzling engagement with Hannah Arendt’s idea of the social, and the enduring significance of her approach to political theory. Shterna also reflects on her time as Pitkin’s research assistant, offering thoughtful insights into what Pitkin taught her about pedagogy, mentorship, and the act of thinking itself.

Texts Referenced in the Episode:

The Concept of Representation - Hanna Pitkin

The Attack of the Blob - Hanna Piktin

In this episode of Her Place in Theory, Juliette Marchant is joined by Helena Rosenblatt, Distinguished Professor of History, French, Political Science, Biography and Memoir at the CUNY Graduate Center, to discuss the life and legacy of Germaine de Staël.

Together, they explore de Staël’s role in shaping modern liberalism, her navigation of the tumultuous politics of Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and the intellectual networks that made her a force across Europe. What can de Staël’s ideas about freedom, emotion, and conversation teach us about politics, and about the life of the mind, today?

Texts Referenced in the Episode:

The Lost History of Liberalism – Helena Rosenblatt

Considerations on the Principal Events of the French Revolution - Germaine de Staël

Welcome to Her Place in Theory, a podcast that celebrates ideas and the women that shaped them.

In this short preview, host, Juliette Marchant, introduces the concept behind the series, what inspired it, and what listeners can expect in the episodes to come.

New episodes will be released every other Tuesday, so subscribe to stay up to date with the stories and ideas of the women who continue to shape the way we think.