Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
There is no doubt that Joan of Arc—15th-century heroine or heretic, depending on your point of view—led an extraordinary life. No less compelling are her seemingly countless, often contradictory, cultural afterlives. How can one person mean so much? This session examined some of the ways in which the figure of Joan has been invoked and deployed over the centuries since her execution to serve a dizzying array of religious, political, cultural, and artistic ends, from symbol of France, to figure of resistance, to model of personal integrity and courage.
There is no doubt that Joan of Arc—15th-century heroine or heretic, depending on your point of view—led an extraordinary life. No less compelling are her seemingly countless, often contradictory, cultural afterlives. How can one person mean so much? This session examined some of the ways in which the figure of Joan has been invoked and deployed over the centuries since her execution to serve a dizzying array of religious, political, cultural, and artistic ends, from symbol of France, to figure of resistance, to model of personal integrity and courage.
