Objects, Spaces and Material Culture. Gender and Politics in Early Modern European Republics (Venice, Genova, XV-XVIII centuries)

To this day, and even in Europe, gender balance in decision-making remains a goal to be achieved.

This condition has historical roots, and the power of informal leadership still remains to be investigated further.The predominantly male European republics of the modern age were careful to mark gender boundaries, excluding women from the direct exercising of power.

In republican contexts, unlike queens, princesses, and duchesses, the consorts of the men in power did not have the privilege of providing the heir to the throne, so traditional historiography has generally considered their role to be very marginal, if not entirely irrelevant.

The aim of the project is to challenge this established idea, using new sources and an innovative interdisciplinary methodological approach.

Considering, from a comparative perspective, two Italian republics that maintained their independence until the end of the 18th century (Venice, Genoa), the investigation will examine the prominence of the Doges' wives and female relatives, the creation and use of gendered spaces, the purchase and placement of furnishings in public and private apartments, and the display strategies pursued.

Particular attention will be given to clothing, jewellery and objects in contact with the body.

Alongside written sources, iconographic sources and objects preserved in museums will be analysed, taking into account the sensory dimension and the three-dimensionality of things.

The aim is to go beyond the limits of written sources and traditional historiography, focusing on material culture, in order to re-evaluate the identity and role of women in republican political contexts, to define their sphere of influence and agency, to grasp their attempts to negotiate power and their strategies to promote private and public interests, and to bring to light their contribution to the - still open - path towards gender equality.