Eileen O’Neill: The City of Women

Introduced by Christia Mercer, Eileen O’Neill presented closing remarks, entitled “The History of Women,” at “Women, Philosophy and History: A Conference in Celebration of Eileen O’Neill ’75.” This two-day conference continued the groundbreaking work of Eileen O’Neill by examining the standard narrative of the history of philosophy from a feminist perspective. O’Neill’s pioneering scholarship has brought to light the texts and ideas of women in the early modern period, and demonstrated the substantial contributions they made to philosophy. Her work has encouraged the analysis of thinkers as diverse as Marie de Gournay, Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, Elisabeth of Bohemia, Anna Maria van Schurman, Mary Astell, Emilie du Chatelet, and Damaris Masham. It has also challenged philosophers to reconsider methodological assumptions that have hidden these women and their works from view. The eminent international scholars gathered for this conference will continue this exploration and discuss the methodological, pedagogical, and philosophical implications of O’Neill’s work. The conference also celebrates the impact of O’Neill’s commitment to women in philosophy more generally.

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