Women have always been writers, musicians, explorers and scientists, even when history forgot to record their contributions. In order to fulfill their creative ambitions, women have bent and broken societal rules that tried to circumscribe their lives – and changed the world with their courage. In this series from award-winning Globe and Mail journalist Elizabeth Renzetti, we’ll take an exhilarating journey through music, politics, film, writing and science, looking at the trailblazing women who have been justly celebrated in their fields – and those who have been unfairly neglected. Drawing on her own personal encounters with these change-makers, and her decades of reporting, she’ll celebrate the fascinating women of history and modern times who refused to play by the rules.
Led by Elizabeth Renzetti, an award-winning columnist and feature writer with The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. As a journalist, Elizabeth has reported from Toronto, London, Los Angeles and Berlin, with a particular interest in issues of feminism and gender equality. She is also the bestselling author of two books, Based on a True Story and Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls.
The six lectures in this series are now available to stream. You can access each lecture at your leisure by clicking on links in your confirmation email, or by visiting your My Shows page.
Lecture #1: Shattered Images
For many women in Hollywood, it wasn’t enough to be a glamorous figure onscreen. They wanted the artistic control that came from directing and producing, writing and speaking out—even if it at came at great personal cost in an industry that would have preferred them to be beautiful and silent. In this first lecture, we’ll meet women who smashed the rules of film and television, from Ida Lupino to Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda to Gillian Armstrong.
Lecture #2: One Eye on the Stars
Erasing women’s scientific discoveries from history was such a common occurrence that it even has a name, “The Matilda Effect.” Who was Matilda? We’ll learn about her and some of the fascinating scientists who changed our understanding of the modern world, from the women who were shut out of Nobel Prizes to the “Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan.”
Lecture #3: Spies, Soldiers, Explorers
Defying convention and expectation, women throughout history have put their lives at risk to explore new territories and fight for the causes they believed in – even when that meant dressing as men. In this lecture, we’ll look at boundary-breakers like Gertrude Bell and Roberta Bondar, the cryptographers who worked at Bletchley Park, and the soldiers who fought stereotypes as well as battles.
Lecture #4: Making Music
Today’s music charts are filled with women’s names, but at the beginning they had to find their own way into the testosterone-filled world of music. We’ll watch as musicians from Patti Smith to Nina Simone to Buffy Sainte-Marie to Joni Mitchell transformed the soundtrack of our lives.
Lecture #5: The Power of the World
Imagine a world where women had to hide their identities in order to be published. Female novelists and journalists learned how to skirt the rules in order to succeed, and in this lecture we’ll look at trailblazing writers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Toni Morrison and Elena Ferrante, and journalists from Mary Ann Shadd to Nellie Bly, mapping the perilous roads that brought them to readers – and personal freedom.
Lecture #6: Breaking Rules and Making Noise
Trying to change society isn’t a game for the faint-hearted. In our final lecture, we celebrate the female politicians and activists who smashed boundaries in order to improve conditions for those who came after. We’ll meet women like Rosemary Brown, Shirley Chisholm, Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others who struggled – and succeeded – in reshaping the world.
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