An Archaeology of Women's Wisdom

An Archaeology of Women's Wisdom unearths the forgotten oral knowledge of sixteenth-century midwives and wise women in the Low Countries (a historical area roughly corresponding with present-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg). As male physicians replaced them, female well-being was disregarded, stifling the development of contraception, abortion, and aphrodisiacs. Instead, women’s remedies were condemned as sorcery, fuelling the witch-hunts that claimed numerous women's lives in Europe. Fedora Boonaert addresses this historical injustice through speculative archaeology, combining archaeology, design, and art history. Her lecture performance takes audiences on an archaeological expedition where her explorations and findings serve to revitalize the profound impact of women's wisdom.