Abstract

Reflection on education - and especially on women's education - is crucial to understand Mary Wollstonecraft's political thought. This text examines her critique of female education models and the proposal to rethink education to allow women to be independent and rational. Then, to better understand these theories, the essay analyses the controversy with Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Comparing the different perspectives, in fact, makes it clearer that Wollstonecraft, through the change in education, aspires to redefine the conception of the public sphere and political participation.