This research project investigates the paradoxical role of women in Plato’s Laws, where they are excluded from political offices but actively engaged in cultural and educational activities such as music, dance, and public rituals. While Plato’s Republic has been widely studied for its progressive stance on women’s political participation, Laws presents a more complex and often overlooked portrayal of women’s sociopolitical status.

By integrating classical philology and performance studies, the project aims to reassess the role of women in public performances and their broader implications for civic life in ancient Greece. It examines Plato’s engagement with contemporary Greek institutions of performance in Athens, Crete, and Sparta, challenging the traditional view of women as silent and invisible in public life. The project will also explore material culture and textual evidence to uncover how public performances shaped gender roles and influenced Plato’s philosophical and political thought.

About Claudia Zichi
Claudia Zichi is Associate Senior Lecturer in Classical Philology at the University of Gothenburg, Research Assistant at the University of Aarhus, and Project Manager for the project Ant–Com (antcom.eu) based at the University of Southern Denmark.

Claudia did her undergraduate studies at University of Pisa and earned her PhD in Lund, graduating in 2018 with a thesis on Poetic Diction and Poetic References in Plato’s Laws. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish Research Institute in Rome and at Bristol University.

She spent research and teaching periods in Italy, Germany and Sweden. Her main research interest lies in the poetic-rhetorical qualities of Plato’s works and in their philosophical-literary reading.

Poster
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