Survey of Sages — Collaborative SCA Study

Project Description: A collaborative survey study of philosophical viewpoints, scholarly pursuits & intuitive discoveries attributed to women before 1700 CE — through the eSCA, in A.S. LIX. 

Through the "jigsaw learning strategy," participants will study one scholar, but will have the opportunity to learn about many other woman as well. Participants will gather virtually throughout several sessions in early 2025 to give a 15-minute presentation about their scholar of choice. 

Project Background: This initiative arose after Tala realized how much of men's scholarship is well-known to Scadians, but how little we collectively know about women's ideas in period. Instead of proceeding with independent study, Tala decided to expand this learning initiative to help other Scadians establish a survey-level, baseline of knowledge about scholarly women before 1700 CE.

Project Goals: This project is meant to help Scadians develop a cursory knowledge of notable thoughts & ideas advanced by ancient and medieval women. While there are many women in history worth studying, this project focuses on those whose thoughts & ideas have survived in some form to be studied today. Future salons may expand this survey study to include in-depth discussions. Associated web-pages and content will be maintained through the foreseeable future to serve as a resource for the broader SCA community.

Guidelines for Sessions

Each participant will sign up for a specific scholar, then study that woman through November and December, 2024. We will meet from January through March, depending on how many sessions are necessary to allow all participants to present their chosen scholar. Each virtual meeting will last 2 hours, allowing 15 minutes for 5 presenters, and approximately 30 extra minutes for questions and discussion. Presentations need not be elaborate. You can simply read off information you learned based on this template study frame document -- or you can show photos/maps/diagrams, share slides or documents, etc. The goal is simply to impart a survey-level of information about your chosen scholar to the rest of the group.

Norms for Collaborative Study

1. Be Curious and Open-Minded: Approach discussions with genuine curiosity. Be willing to explore different perspectives, even if they challenge your initial thoughts. When possible, support your ideas with sources or examples, and embrace the value of changing your mind when new insights emerge. 

2. Embrace Nuance and Avoid Absolutism: Historical subjects are often complex, with multiple interpretations. Let’s avoid presenting opinions as facts and recognize that historical narratives can be multifaceted. Instead of debating who’s "right," let's explore the range of possibilities together.

3. Respect and Include All Voices: A core principle is to value everyone’s input, regardless of their academic background or familiarity with the material. Encourage quieter participants to share their thoughts, and avoid interrupting or dominating the conversation. 

4. Ask Thoughtful, Open-Ended Questions: As questions are often more useful than answers in learning, encourage participants to ask questions that can spark deeper reflection, rather than leading questions or those seeking only "right" answers.

5. Understanding Historical Context: Discussing ancient and medieval societies can raise complex issues of culture, religion, gender, and ethics. Let’s aim to understand these scholars within the framework of their time, while also recognizing the relevance (or differences) to contemporary issues.

6. Handle Disagreements with Care: Disagreement is natural and often productive! When we disagree, let’s focus on understanding each other’s perspectives. Avoid dismissive language or framing others' ideas as "wrong" or "ignorant." Instead, try phrases like “I see it differently because…” or “That’s interesting; could you say more?”

7. Focus on Engagement, Not Perfection: Participation is about engaging and learning, not getting everything “right.” It's okay to stumble through a thought, express uncertainty, or circle back to an idea later. This is a space for growth, not perfection.

8. Aim to Contribute Positively: Every comment should help further the discussion or understanding for the group. Critique ideas, not people, and aim to build on each other's contributions rather than tearing them down.

9. Academically Approach to Religion: Many pre-1700 women spoke on religious topics. In the SCA, we can study religious topics with an academic mindset while avoiding religious activities.

10. Critical Evaluation of Sources: In a world of abundant information at our fingertips, modern research requires a critical evaluation of sources to identify biases and other complicating factors. Though this is meant to be a casual study group, please be sure to highlight any warnings about problematic sources.

11. No Shame in Learning: There's no shame in being wrong. It just means we didn't have all the information yet. Remember, "I don't know yet" or "I'm not sure" are great answers, and preferable to making up information. Speculation is welcome, but please lampshade it. This is a cooperative learning group, so don't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how basic they may seem to you.

Folder of documents, photos & slides created by Presenters

Non-Participant Registration form: a required registration form for Scadians wishing to sit in on the presentations

Survey of Sages Study Group calendar: a Google calendar indicating important deadlines, meetings, etc.

Scholar Focus template: an optional document to help participants frame their study

Survey of Sages spreadsheet: a dynamic master-list of Scadian participants and the scholars they've chosen to highlight

Survey of Sages Questionnaire: a questionnaire to help our group schedule our meetings and communicate about logistics

Directory of Woman Philosophers 

🔗   https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/project/directory-of-women-philosophers/ 

Managed and published on the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists website by Paderborn University in Germany. "The Directory gives an overview of women philosophers and scientists from approx. 2300 BCE to the 21st century. Currently, there are more than 240 names of women philosophers listed and the entries will be periodically updated with biographical information and sources for further research. The entry on each philosopher shows detailed biographical information as well as an extensive list of primary and secondary sources, including texts, online sources and video material. Important quotes as well as links to key concepts by the philosophers in the ECC are also available. The Directory is still in development and entries are being updated continuously."

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP)

🔗   https://plato.stanford.edu/ 

The SEP offers high-quality, in-depth entries on individual philosophers and various philosophical topics. Search for articles on notable women philosophers, such as Hypatia, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Elisabeth of Bohemia. SEP's model represents a unique digital library concept: a scholarly dynamic reference work. A scholarly dynamic reference work differs from an academic journal, for academic journals (1) do not typically update the articles they publish, (2) do not aim to publish articles on a comprehensive set of topics, but rather, for the most part, publish articles that are randomly submitted by the members of the profession, (3) do not aim to cross-reference and create links among the concepts used in the articles they publish, (4) typically serve a narrow audience of specialists, and (5) do not have to deal with the asynchronous activity of updating, refereeing, and tracking separate deadlines for entries, since they are published on a synchronized schedule. 

Project Vox

🔗   https://projectvox.org/ 

Project Vox aims to recover the work of women philosophers who have been overlooked in the canon, focusing on figures from the early modern period like Margaret Cavendish and Émilie Du Châtelet. It includes biographical information, translations, and analyses of their work. The website has three primary goals. First, it seeks to provide students at all levels with the materials they need to begin exploring the rich philosophical ideas of individuals excluded from the canon. Second, it aims to provide teachers with the material they need to incorporate these figures into their courses. Third and finally, it aims to help transform our current conception of the canon.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP)

🔗   https://iep.utm.edu/  

The purpose of the IEP is to provide detailed, scholarly, peer-reviewed information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of academic philosophy. The Encyclopedia’s articles are written with the intention that most of the article can be understood by advanced undergraduates majoring in philosophy and by other scholars who are not working in the field covered by that article. The IEP articles are written by experts but not for experts in analogy to the way the Scientific American magazine is written by scientific experts but not primarily for scientific experts.

Hypatia: a Journal of Feminist Philosophy

🔗   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/hypatia & https://hypatiaphilosophy.org/  

Hypatia is a scholarly journal that publishes research on feminist philosophy and includes articles on historical women philosophers. Many universities provide access to Hypatia; if you don't have access, some articles may be available for free through open-access platforms. Hypatia’s commitment to the development of feminist philosophy entails that, in all its policies and practices, Hypatia actively reflects and engages the diversity within feminism itself, the diverse experiences and situations of women, and the diverse forms that gender takes across the globe. Promoting diversity within feminist philosophy and within philosophy in general is thus one of Hypatia’s core objectives.

PhilPapers

🔗   https://philpapers.org/ 

PhilPapers is a comprehensive index and bibliography of philosophy papers, including sections on feminist philosophy and historical women philosophers. It can help you find scholarly articles and books on specific philosophers or topics. PhilPapers uses advanced trawling techniques and large-scale crowd-sourcing to monitor all sources of research content in philosophy, including journals, books, personal pages, and open access archives. Their index currently includes 2,749,319 research books and articles. Over 5,000 individuals have contributed content to their index.

Society for the Study of Women Philosophers, Inc.

🔗   http://www.societyforthestudyofwomenphilosophers.org/Name_Index.html  

Members of the Society for the Study of Women Philosophers have engaged in "recovery projects" that document the contributions of nearly 200 women to philosophy. Women's contributions include ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, early modern philosophy, as well as 19th and 20th century philosophy. Most of the women philosophers we have found come from the western tradition. However, women have also contributed to philosophical discussions within Shinto, Daoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Jaina, and Islam as well as Judaism & Christianity. Society members also undertake "restoration projects" -- the scholarly work needed to authenticate texts, confirm authorship and create modern editions and translations of works by early women philosophers.