The new Beguine. A Return to the Middle Ages in search of the sociocultural roots of women’s independence

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine whether the autonomy and freedom of thought, writing, and action of medieval Beguines are traits and behaviors that reflect certain cultural roots of female independence. Using a critical-comprehensive methodology, we observe the social context in which these medieval women lived and their social identity. Considering the beguinages as movements of female emancipation leads us to hypothesize that in the Late Middle Ages and following centuries many women had ways of life that resembled those of the ancient Beguines, and therefore many more women in history could be called new Beguines.

Keywords
New Beguines; Women’s emancipation, Espíritus Libres, Feminism, Women writers