What if the world were led by female intelligence? This was the thought-provoking question at the heart of this year’s edition of the Florence festival L'Eredità delle Donne, dedicated to women’s empowerment and their role in contemporary society. The festival took place from 21 to 25 November across the city of Florence and at various locations throughout Italy.
The event was held in collaboration with the local associations EquALL and Associazione Fiesolana 2b. Throughout the evening, experts and activists working in technological innovation, political science and gender policies sparked a wide-ranging discussion on how feminist knowledge can reshape democratic structures, challenge entrenched assumptions and inspire more inclusive practices across disciplines.
The timing was particularly significant, as it was held on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Opening the discussion, Elena Coden, a member of the EUI Feminist Assembly, recalled this context by quoting a recent interview with the Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, Eugenia Roccella, who stated that “every woman who is being killed is one too many, but every woman who is not killed is a positive fact.” This controversial remark highlighted the troubling notion that mere survival could be framed as an achievement, underscoring the urgency of discussing feminist — rather than simply female — knowledge within structures of power and in society at large.
Against this backdrop, the panellists themselves noted that, while inspiring, the festival’s overarching theme risked appearing constrictive and deterministic, potentially reinforcing stereotypes. For this reason, they chose to overturn the premise from the outset by reframing the discussion under the title ‘Dalla campana di vetro alla lente d’ingrandimento: come le donne stanno decifrando e ribaltando le barriere del patriarcato’ (From the glass bell jar to the magnifying glass: how women are decoding and overturning patriarchal barriers).
Martina Ferracane, part-time assistant professor and founder of FabLab Western Society; Costanza Hermanin, EUI visiting fellow, researcher and President of EquALL; and Lea Fiorentini and Carla Fronteddu of Associazione Fiesolana 2b collectively challenged the festival’s central theme. Their discussion reframed feminist knowledge as a form of collective power, emphasising systemic change and highlighting the urgency of linking feminist approaches to pressing issues such as gender-based violence, democratic renewal, and the need for more women in spaces that have traditionally been led by men.
The conversation unfolded around key questions, including the distinction between having women in politics and having feminist individuals in politics; the barriers that still prevent feminist knowledge from permeating structures of power; the rejection of inclusive and plural language as a means of confining feminist thought within patriarchal frameworks; and the concrete actions communities can take to encourage girls to cultivate their talents.
The festival is dedicated to Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, a pioneer of Italian and European culture. True to her legacy of defying convention, the panellists shared personal experiences and encouraged critical reflection among the audience, culminating in an interactive activity that actively involved participants. By the end of the evening, the dialogue had moved well beyond the festival’s initial provocation, opening up a shared space for collective questioning, practical engagement and renewed commitment to feminist knowledge as a driver of social change.