Intelligence Squared Podcast Summary
Episode Title: Who are the Trailblazing Women Hidden From Our History? With Women's Prize Founder Kate Mosse
Date: September 21, 2025
Host: Shahida Bari
Guest: Kate Mosse

Episode Overview

In this episode, Shahida Bari speaks with acclaimed author and founder of the Women's Prize, Kate Mosse, about her new book Feminist History for Every Day of the Year. This almanac highlights overlooked women and forgotten events in history, each entry representing a day of the year, complete with essays and illustrations. The conversation delves into the need to reclaim women's place in history, the difficulties of representation, evolving priorities for young feminists, and the importance of inclusive, complex storytelling about the past.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origin and Purpose of the Book

• COVID Inspiration: Kate Mosse describes launching the “Woman in History” campaign during COVID to spark joy and celebration when the world felt bleak (03:58).
  • "I simply put out on Twitter...if anybody would like to share the name of a woman from history they think should be better known...let me know. And within days I had thousands of people who'd responded from all over the world." — Kate Mosse (04:28)
• From Social Media to Almanac: The overwhelming response—and the realization that even she didn’t know many of these women—led to the book’s format: 366 stories, one for each day, aiming to broaden the historical narrative and inspire younger generations.
• Mission: Reveal how easily women are written out of history and prompt readers to explore further. The book encourages curiosity and action.

2. The Dynamics of Historical Erasure

• Pendulum of Progress: Kate stresses that while feminist movements have made progress, history repeats itself; rights are constantly fought for and sometimes rolled back (08:03).
• Power Over Narratives: Men have historically written history, limiting who gets included. It’s not mere “revisionist history”—women were highly visible in their time, but later written out.
  • "It’s the writing of history subsequently that has left them out, not the living of it." — Kate Mosse (09:43)
• Modern Pressures: With technology, misinformation, and social media, it’s easier for divisions and misogyny to persist. Reminding people of trailblazing women becomes even more vital.

3. Intended Audience and Accessibility

• For the Young and Curious: The book aims for YA (young adult) readers and above, with “potted histories” to suit modern shorter attention spans (13:18).
• Approachable, Not Simplistic: Designed to be dipped into rather than read cover-to-cover, with hope to trigger further research and discovery.
  • "The potted history element is important...it is intended for a younger audience because there are great demands on everybody’s time." — Kate Mosse (13:41)

4. Who Gets Included, and Why?

• Selection Challenges: Narrowing thousands of possibilities to one per day required a mix of crowdsourcing, spreadsheets, and deliberate diversity (17:44; 18:04).
• Generational and Global Scope: Input from young people and editors ensured contemporary relevance, while striving for global representation across eras and professions.

5. The Power and Limits of Representation

• Essays as Context: The book features thematic essays, such as on warriors, shame, and the notion that "Boys Can Be Feminists Too" (21:02).
  • "It calls out some of the men who do wonderful things and should be praised...‘divided we fall, it’s as simple as that.’" — Kate Mosse (24:40)
• On Shame and Empowerment: Central message for young readers: refuse to be silenced or shamed, reclaim agency in the face of bullying or marginalization (22:13).
• Inclusivity: Includes trans women and figures with complex identities, guided by the principle of representing everyone who made a difference—regardless of current political debates (25:35).
  • "Every single human being should be treated with dignity and respect and that is utterly unnegotiable." — Kate Mosse (28:12)
  • Notable story: Pauli Murray, a civil rights activist who described herself as an “in betweener”, and whose legacy was obscured due to her non-binary identity (29:45).

6. Complexity and Contradiction in Historical Figures

• Difficult Women Included: Marie Stopes, Florence Nightingale, and others are discussed in the book, warts and all.
  • "You cannot pick and choose and only put people in that you agree with...we allow men to be complicated and complex and contradictory...we have to, as women, be brave enough to put back all the women." — Kate Mosse (31:20)
• Honest History: Embracing contradictions—recognizing both the positive impact and problematic views/actions.

7. Visual Storytelling and Lost Histories

• Illustrations by Sophie Bass: Used both to represent professions/events and bring to life women from eras with no surviving images (37:49).
  • "That’s the problem with women’s history...if women’s evidence...is not being kept...you have to find a workaround." — Kate Mosse (39:37)

8. The Special Role of Sport

• Sports as Social History: Entries include sportswomen and events, highlighting deliberate erasure by institutions (e.g., the banning of women’s football by the FA) and the importance of reclaiming these stories (40:35).
  • Story of Lily Parr, the UK's most prolific goal-scorer, whose legacy was nearly lost due to such bans (40:54).

9. Generational Priorities and Changing Feminism

• Evolving Causes: Young feminists today are focused on trans rights and environmental issues, whereas prior generations were consumed with nuclear war and pornography (46:52).
  • "I think I want to respect what are the focuses for campaigning and issues now, and also introduce things that are of very significant importance to people in other parts of the world." — Kate Mosse (48:27)
• Global Inclusion: Recognition that priorities differ globally; respect for these differences is essential.

10. The Novelist’s Perspective and Personal Stakes

• Narrative Voice: For Mosse, writing this book required stepping out from behind fiction, using her own voice more openly than before (52:05).
  • "It felt very, very important because carers are everywhere, hidden in plain sight...Care for me is a feminist issue because the vast majority of carers are women." — Kate Mosse (52:19)
• The Value of Speaking Up: Urges others, especially young people, to use their voices, embrace difficulties, and keep talking—communication is the path to progress (54:52).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Historical Erasure:
  "It’s the writing of history subsequently that has left them out, not the living of it." — Kate Mosse (09:43)
• On Feminism’s Resilience:
  "Reminding people that women have always been there, have always done everything, that everybody who has made a difference, has probably had to fight for it..." — Kate Mosse (10:47)
• On the Power of Inclusion:
  "Everything about putting women and girls back into history is about getting a bigger table. It’s not about reducing anybody else." — Kate Mosse (24:15)
• On Embracing Complication:
  "We allow men to be complicated and complex and contradictory. We have all the men in history, the sinners and the saints. We have to, as women, be brave enough to put back all the women into history." — Kate Mosse (31:45)
• On the Change We Can Make:
  "You can change the world, guys. Don’t let them make you feel that you can’t speak or that you’ve got to be someone you don’t want to be or that it’s all just too hard." — Kate Mosse (54:35)
• Pauli Murray’s Legacy:
  "I have lived to see my lost causes found." — Pauli Murray, quoted by Kate Mosse (30:41)
• On the Process of Discovery:
  "So what I’ve discovered so far is that every time somebody gets their hands on the book, the first thing they do is look up their own birthday to see who their birthday twin is." — Kate Mosse (06:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Book Origin: 03:58 – 06:52
• Why Women Vanish from History: 08:03 – 12:38
• Audience and Purpose: 13:18 – 15:26
• Research and Selection Process: 17:44 – 21:02
• Essays and Thematic Content: 21:02 – 25:35
• Trans Inclusion and Pauli Murray: 25:35 – 30:43
• Controversial & Complex Figures: 31:20 – 34:17
• Illustrations & Visual Gaps in History: 37:29 – 40:12
• Women in Sports: 40:12 – 44:31
• Favorite Entries: 44:51 – 46:52
• Young People’s Priorities & Global Inclusion: 46:52 – 51:11
• Writing as a Novelist and Advocating Openly: 52:05 – 55:15

Tone and Language

The conversation is warm, optimistic, and energizing. Both host and guest are passionate advocates for nuanced, inclusive history. They balance light-hearted moments (favorite entries, the “birthday twin” anecdote) with candid discussions about serious subjects (erasure, shame, controversy within feminism). Mosse argues forcefully but compassionately for solidarity, curiosity, and the essential power of stories.

Overall Takeaway:
Kate Mosse’s Feminist History for Every Day of the Year is a vibrant invitation to rediscover forgotten women, reflect on the cyclical challenges of historical memory, and empower new generations—of all genders—to claim the pen and write fuller, fairer histories for everyone.