In this course, we will study history through the experiences of Maria Sibylla Meriam (1647-1717), German naturalist and who crossed the Atlantic, at age fifty, to study and depict insects in Surinam; Marie “Madame” Tussaud (1761-1850): artist, waxmaker, and entrepreneur during and after the French Revolution; Clorinda Matto de Turner (1852-1909) Peruvian educator and writer whose work highlighted indigenous peoples and women’s rights; and Mariama Bâ (1929-1981) Senegalese novelist who bore witness to her country’s decolonization. We will examine the world in which each of these women lived, the challenges they confronted, and how these women have been remembered through the centuries. We’ll also draw from a wide range of historical sources. We’ll consider: how did each of the four women—hailing from Germany, France, Senegal, and Peru—survive, thrive, and shape their own stories?