3Thu-1A-5b: Six Prominent Female Leaders of the 20th Century
Class | Registration opens 1/19/26 10:00 AM
This course will be devoted to female leaders of the 20th century who shaped modern history across political, cultural, and religious landscapes. We will focus on six pioneering figures from diverse backgrounds and analyze their leadership styles during pivotal moments of national and international significance. We chose two Muslims, a Hindu, two Christians and a Jew – Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Indira Gandhi, Corazon Aquino, Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir. We were not, unfortunately, able to include a US president. We are looking forward to including one in our lifetime. The format will be lectures that encourage discussion. Weekly preparation time will be about two hours with suggestions for books to be read prior to the start of the course.
All books are optional.
Reid, Robert H. and Guerrero, Eileen. Corazon Aquino and the Brushfire Revolution. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge & London, 1995.
Komisar, Lucy. Corazon Aquino, The Story of a Revolutionary. George Braziller, NY, 1987.
Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi, An Intimate Biography. Pantheon Books, NY, 1988.
Malhotra, Inder. Indira Gandhi. National Book Trust, India, New Delhi, 2006.
Bhutto, Benazir. Daughter of Destiny, An Autobiography. Simon & Schuster, NY, 1989.
Bhutto, Benazir. Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and The West. Harper, 2008.
Cannadine, David. Margaret Thatcher: A Life and Legacy. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017.
Aitken, Jonathan. Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality. Bloomsbury, NY, 2013.
Meir, Golda. My Life. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2023.
Margalit Lai
Margalit Lai: I have given several courses over the years at LLAIC and found that history is my real niche. My last course was about five 20th century male leaders. Other courses I have given over the years were about the British empire, Israel, the history of Russia, why nations fail, and atheism.
Margaret Dergalis
Margaret Dergalis: My background as a secondary school teacher coupled with my love of history, memoir, and biography make this course a logical fit. I’ve teamed up with Margalit for three prior courses. I enjoy sharing the role as course leader for LLAIC and LLARC.