Harvard class reveals hidden wonders of feminism
For many, feminism just took a flying, sword-wielding leap with “Wonder Woman,” the new film in which Amazonian warrior-princess Diana of Themyscira serves as protector of the free world. The Patty Jenkins-directed movie, the first superhero feature with a woman in the leading role, grossed $223 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the third-biggest launch for a DC Comics movie. Though an important milestone for some, others consider the film just one more step on the long, complicated road to gender equality, a road Harvard cultural historian Phyllis Thompson and her class of undergraduates explored during the spring term. Thompson’s class “The History of Feminism: Narratives of Gender, Race and Rights,” a new Harvard offering that examined the evolution of major feminist narratives, aimed to replace the notion of a steady stream of progress with a more nuanced appreciation of the many actors, seen and unseen, responsible for advancing women’s rights over...