Photo credit: Emily Goldie

Join author Nan Sloane to discover the fascinating history of radical, reformist, and revolutionary women between the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 and the passing of the Great Reform Act in 1832. In this talk, Nan will focus particularly on those freethinking women who challenged religious orthodoxy and fought for greater freedoms for all, helping to pave the way for those humanist men and women who came after them. 

In her new book, Uncontrollable Women, Nan Sloane sheds light on the often overlooked – sometimes altogether forgotten – women who battled for a range of major reforms, from the rights of women to the separation of Church and state. These include working class champion of free speech Susannah Wright, imprisoned for selling works deemed ‘scandalous, impious, blasphemous, and profane’, and Eliza Sharples, who abandoned a comfortable life to lecture and write ‘until superstition [was] extinct’. Join us for a deep dive into the lives and contributions of these humanist pioneers.

About Nan Sloane

Nan Sloane is an author, speaker, and trainer with a focus on the role of women in the political public space. She is particularly interested in exploring women’s often-ignored contribution to political history, and in bringing the stories of overlooked women to a wider audience. Her previous books include The Women in the Room: Labour’s Forgotten History (2018), In Our Own Words: A Dictionary of Women’s Political Quotations (2016), and A Great Act of Justice: The Flapper Election and After (2009).

About Humanist Heritage

In 2021, we celebrated the 125th anniversary of Humanists UK with the launch of the Humanist Heritage website. This year we will continue to explore the lesser known stories that make up the rich history of humanism in the UK, including tales of radicalism, rebellion, and dissent.