Hannah "Hannele" Hellerstedt

Research Topic

Constructing Virtue: The Female Builder in Late Medieval and Early Modern French Illuminated Manuscripts

Supervisor: Geraldine Johnson and Hannah Skoda

My doctoral research examines the motif of the woman-builder within the prolific literary output of late medieval and early modern France, combining text-image analysis with archival research on women on construction sites. Focusing on how women were presented, both by themselves and others, I ask: How were the bounds of socially acceptable displays of femininity created in relation to the built environment? How did women navigate such boundaries, and to what extent did these shift according to class?

My other research interest include wider conceptions of gender between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, as well as the relationship between Gothic and Italianate architectural styles at the turn of the early modern period. 

Prior to beginning my DPhil in 2024, I received a BA (Honours) in Architecture and in French and Francophone Studies from Brown University (2021) and an MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of Oxford (2022).