The 25th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World (Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo) will be held from 13 to 19 October 2025, with the theme “Italophony: Language Beyond Borders” (Italofonia: lingua oltre i confini). Organised by the diplomatic-consular network of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Institutes of Culture around the world, this initiative has over time become the most important review on a global scale dedicated to the Italian language. This year’s theme highlights the importance of the Italian language as a vehicle of culture and identity beyond geographical boundaries.
On this occasion, the Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh is delighted to invite you to Renaissance Feminism: Women Writers, Translation and the Canon, a conversation with Dr Carlotta Moro and Prof Davide Messina. Please join us on Thursday, 16 October 2025 at 6:00pm at the Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh.
This conversation will introduce a traditionally overlooked aspect of early modern culture in Italy: the rise of women writers and (proto)feminist thought. We will discuss Moderata Fonte’s The Worth of Women (1600), Lucrezia Marinella’s The Nobility and Excellence of Women (1600), and Camila Bonfiglio’s Book in Praise of Women and on the Cruelty of Men (ca. 1602/1620), examining how these works elevate the status of women and engage with the issue of male tyranny. The discussion will also address these women’s marginalisation in the Italian literary canon, as well as their reception and translation beyond Italy.
Dr Carlotta Moro is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the ERC-awarded and UKRI-funded project ‘Cultures of Philosophy: Women Writing Knowledge in Early Modern Europe’ at the University of Exeter and she holds a PhD in Italian Studies from the University of St Andrews.
Prof Davide Messina is Professor of Italian and Comparative Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
DOORS OPEN: 5:30 pm
EVENT STARTS: 6:00 pm
The event is free, but booking is required. Please email us at eventi.iicedimburgo@esteri.it to reserve a seat (please include the full names of all guests in your party).