Julia Burkhardt, a professor of medieval history at Ludwig Maximilians Universität in Munich, delivered a lecture at Stony Brook University on September 23 focused on the historical roots of femicide. She began by citing Diana Russell’s definition: “the killing of females because they are female.” Burkhardt then contextualized this act within larger societal issues, stating, “The act of killing is just a culmination of a deeper structural problem.”
Her talk was part of the Pressing Matters lecture series at Stony Brook University, which aims to address urgent public concerns through scholarly and artistic discussion. The event attracted students, faculty, and visitors to Frey Hall.
Burkhardt traced femicide back to the period between 1200 and 1700. She explained that while such killings were not daily occurrences during this time, they were not rare either. Her current research seeks to systematically map these lethal attacks throughout history.
She emphasized the significance of identifying and naming the phenomenon as key to addressing it. “To name is to recognize. Only when a clear designation is made can the problem itself become visible,” Burkhardt said. She also noted that femicide has occurred globally: In almost all areas of the world, women have been killed by men because of their gender.
The lecture took place during HUS 201: The Hispanic World through Visual Cultures, co-taught by Professors Fernando Loffredo, Daniela Ruiz, and David Parra. It was open to the broader campus community and included active participation from attendees who questioned how war or social class might influence rates or forms of femicide.
Michael Rubenstein, director of the Humanities Institute at Stony Brook University, commented on the impact of Burkhardt’s presentation: The talk, he said, “allowed us to think about violence against women, about the institution of marriage and its early history, and all kinds of things that we don’t always get a chance to think about.”
Burkhardt leads an interdisciplinary research group at LMU’s Center for Advanced Studies focused on femicide in pre-modern times. Her work integrates cultural history with gender studies and medieval politics. She recently received the Prinzessin-Therese-von-Bayern Award 2025 for her contributions.
The Pressing Matters series will continue into mid-October as part of ongoing efforts by Stony Brook University’s Humanities Institute. Rubenstein described it as “one of the great traditions that we are proud to uphold.”