Protofeminism
People and activists who discussed or advanced women's issues prior to the existence of the feminist movement are sometimes labeled protofeminist. Some scholars, however, criticize the use of this term. Some argue that it diminishes the importance of earlier contributions, while others argue that feminism does not have a single, linear history as implied by terms such as protofeminist or postfeminist.
Figures from the Italian writer of the 15th century, Christine de Pizan – the first woman to write about the relation of the sexes and the author of Epître au Dieu d'Amour (Epistle to the God of Love), Christine de Pizan's work having been recognized by Simone de Beauvoir, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Modesta di Pozzo di Forzi, who worked in the 16th century, up to and including the 17th-century writers Hannah Woolley in England, Juana Inés de la Cruz in Mexico, Marie Le Jars de Gournay, Anne Bradstreet, and François Poullain de la Barre are sometimes described as protofeminist.
Read more about this topic: History Of Feminism