Registration for the upcoming Calvin Studies Society colloquium on “Calvin, Women, and Gender,” to be held at Wheaton College, March 31 – April 2, 2022, is now open.
How did the Reformation alter the position and role of early modern women in their families, in the church, and in society? If the historiography is any indication, the answer to that question is complex and continues to demand consideration and further academic reflection. To that end, the Calvin Studies Society will explore the topic of John Calvin and women with consideration of early modern concepts, dynamics, and practices pertaining to gender. During a period unsettled by the doctrinal affirmation that women could be made in the image of God, what was the experience of early modern women in their contexts? How were women treated by Geneva’s Consistory and social welfare systems? What commitments did women fulfill in their families and in the life of worship? What were Calvin’s views of sex, and how did he interact with his female contemporaries? The CSS colloquium is designed to promote theological and historical engagement with the thought, life, and times of John Calvin, the broader developments of the Protestant Reformation, and Reformed Traditions in particular.
