Foremothers: Bringing it All Back Home

This week, I shall be working on my talk for the annual meeting of the Women’s Classical Committee – UK. I’m delivering the public lecture at the end, which will conclude what’s been discussed during the day, while also being geared to people who have come just for my talk. So: I shall be rounding off the AGM’s topic, and also saying something stand-alone. The topic is ‘foremothers,’ and I’ll discuss various kinds of academic ‘mothers’ who have shaped me. The abstract is here.

Here’s why I am mentioning this on the blog - it’s because I’m planning, briefly at least, to mention my work on autism and classical myth, and how this has grown out of my experiences engaging with foremothers. This will include women I have personally known, but more key I expect to be those academic mothers who have reached me through their writing.

I've said previously that all paths lead to Athena. The talk takes place in my hometown, and this hometown is one of many cities whose public art includes the goddess. The photo that heads the current posting shows this Athena. I shall be going on an academic pilgrimage to this Athena before the AGM. Also, I plan to use this Athena to frame my discussion of going home and being mothered.

More to follow…