Queen Boudica as a Feminist Icon

During this last month, we dedicated ourselves to the realization of a Civic Education project on powerful women from the past and gender equality (SDG5 in the UN Agenda 2030) and we have just created a podcast on spotify which you should listen to before continue reading. 

Here is our podcast, click on it and enjoy!

Process work

We started working on our ideas soon after our first English Literature lesson, concerning the Celts, in which the figure of Queen Boudica stood out  as a strong female figure from the past. She is the famous leader of the Celtic tribe of the Iceni, known for having fought the Romans and for being a great patriotic figure.

While the term "feminism" as we understand it today did not exist in Boudica's time, her actions and the values she represented resonate with feminist ideals in several ways. There are a number of reasons why Queen Boudica is often seen as a feminist icon: first of all, defiance against oppression; in fact, Boudica's revolt against the Romans can be interpreted as a rebellion against the patriarchal system of her time.  Then, other two crucial aspects are leadership and agency: Boudica took charge of her people and led them into battle, displaying qualities of leadership, courage, and strategic thinking which challenged the notion that women were inherently unfit for positions of power.  Other reasons are the protection of her family and her own people: Boudica's motivation for rebellion stemmed from the mistreatment of her daughters and her tribe by the Romans thus highlighting the strength and resilience of women in the face of adversity. Additionally, resistance against gender norms: Boudica defied traditional gender roles by taking on a warrior's role and leading her people to a battle against the Romans. In a society that often relegated women to the domestic sphere, her actions challenged the notion that women were incapable of engaging in warfare or holding positions of authority. Lastly, she is certainly a symbol of female strength: Boudica's physical and mental strength in leading her troops against the Roman forces serves as an inspiration for women, emphasizing that they are capable of roles traditionally associated with masculinity. Her image as a warrior queen has become a symbol of female empowerment and resilience. Her very name, more of  a title than a name, means comes from the old proto-Gaelic word BOUDEG, which means ‘Victory’. And so the word properly is ‘Boudega’ – She who Brings Victory.

It is important to note that Boudica's portrayal as a feminist icon is often based on interpretations of her historical significance and the values she represents. As with any historical figure, the understanding of her motivations and actions can vary, and different perspectives may highlight various aspects of her story. 

Our sources

We read some interesting articles on the topic and one in particular stood out for us. It is from The Guardian (see first picture with captions), "Boudicca returns as a 21st century feminist - 2000 years after her death", by David Barnett (published on 2 April 2023). The article describes a 2023 event held in Colchester in March for Women's International Day and celebrates Boudica as both a local and national hero. Colchester is a major part of the Boudicca story. The town, known in AD61 by its Roman name, Camulodunum, was destroyed by the rampaging Iceni as they fought – and ultimately failed – to defeat the occupiers.

We used several crucial pieces of information that helped us develop two interviews with the queen, in which she takes part in the first person. Both interviews focus on the figure of Queen Boudica seen as a female icon at the time and recognized as such today.

Trying to interpret Queen Boudica's thoughts as best as possible through the research sources we had was decidedly the  most challenging part, as we had to find out what the Iceni society and the mentality of the time were like in order to be able to organise a speech that could be as coherent and plausible as possible.

Among the various platforms we could use to record our voices so that the podcast could be fluent and well understood, Spotify Podcast seemed to us the simplest and the highest quality one. It also allowed us to be able to make use of background music, to create a sort of soundtrack for our podcast.