About the center
The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Women in the History of Philosophy (INSPIRE) is committed to fostering the understanding of women’s contributions to the history of philosophy.
Our mission is to retrieve women’s philosophical thought, reassess gender conceptualizations, question traditional narratives, and advance gender equality within the field of philosophy and in academia. By investigating women’s philosophical thought from an interdisciplinary perspective, we facilitate cross-disciplinary analyses and aim at lasting impact not only within philosophy, but across various disciplines, departments, and faculties.
As the first Scandinavia-based center dedicated to the comprehensive study of women in the history of philosophy, INSPIRE is characterized by three features:
- Interdisciplinary approach: Committed to exploring women’s thought, intellectual expressions and assertions across various disciplines, we employ insights from numerous fields, such as history, theology, religious studies, literary studies, gender studies, law, history of sciences, digital humanities, and related disciplines across historical periods. Thus, INSPIRE promotes a holistic understanding of the contributions made by women philosophers.
- Focus on the Nordic countries: While our investigation is broad in scope cutting across historical periods and geographical regions, we dedicate particular focus to exploring women’s philosophical thought in the Nordic countries. By investigating this often-neglected region, we aim to enhance the global understanding of the history of philosophy and to foster conversations about regional differences in the development of women’s thought and gender equality both, within Europe and beyond.
- Use of digital technologies: INSPIRE is committed to enhance the (i) accessibility, (ii) preservation, and (iii) utilization of historical material related to women in the history of philosophy through the integration of digital technologies.
