WIRE project aims to place women at the centre of historical narratives and give them visibility
A theatre play premiere and the presentation of an online repository with stories about women made invisible are some of the results of the European WIRE project, coordinated by the UAB in collaboration with Memorial Democràtic. Next week in Barcleona, the project members will present the results of two years of work by students and researchers from Spain, Italy, Poland and Greece. The goal is to make available for the general public the legacy of forgotten women who fought against totalitarian regimes.
Students and researchers have worked side by side to make the legacy of these forgotten women accessible to the general public.
After two years of intense research and dissemination work, the European project WIRE (Women in Resistance), coordinated by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), will hold its final events from 28 to 31 October in Barcelona.
These days will combine academic conferences, cultural activities and a tour of emblematic spaces of the anti-Francoist resistance, with the aim of highlighting the fundamental role of women in resistance movements against totalitarian regimes in Europe.
Over the past two years, 40 students have traveled to emblematic sites of anti-totalitarian resistance in Greece, Spain, Italy and Poland. Through this journey, they identified, reconstructed and disseminated the life stories of 50 key women of the resistance movements, contributing to making their legacy visible and enriching the European historical memory.
A program full of activities
The events will include an inaugural lecture by project coordinator Javier Rodrigo, lecturer in the UAB Department of Modern and Early Modern History, followed by debates with experts in the anti-Franco struggle, as well as historians specialising in the resistance in Poland, Greece and Italy.
One of the highlights will be the premiere of the play Caure - To Fall, written by Helena Tornero. This play explores the lives of women marked by silence and oblivion, and addresses the importance of historical memory and the role of women in the resistance. It will be followed by a debate with the author.
In addition, an online repository with the life stories of 50 women from these four countries who fought against the totalitarian regimes, reconstructed during the project, will be inaugurated. There will alo be a presentation of the resources inspired by these stories (podcasts, video games, pedagogical dossiers, etc.).
Objectives of the WIRE project
Despite having been key actors in the struggle against totalitarian regimes, the contributions of women are often marginalised in the official history books. WIRE seeks to reverse this neglect and place them at the centre of the historical narrative. Funded by the European Union, WIRE aims to reposition women as key figures in historical narratives about the resistance movements in Europe.
That is why the project has created a research and dissemination platform that links academic knowledge with cultural and artistic activities, with the aim of integrating these stories into the collective European memory. Students and researchers have worked side by side to make the legacy of these forgotten women accessible to the general public.
Coordinated by the UAB, WIRE includes the collaboration of several European institutions: Memorial Democràtic (Spain), the Villa Decius Association (Poland), the Scuola di Pace di Monte Sole (Italy), and the Archives of Contemporary Social History (Greece).
PROGRAMME
- Monday, 28 October
- 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Meeting of students from the WIRE project with women from the Catalan Association of ex-political prisoners under Franco's dictatorship + visit to the historical neighbourhoods. Comissions Obreres de Catalunya + Barri Gòtic, Barcelona.
- Tuesday, 29 October
- 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Visit to the Museu Memorial de l'Exili (MUME) and the Mina Canta. La Jonquera.
- Wednesday, 30 October
- 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Academic conferece on female resistance in Europe, with experts from Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland, and students participating in the project. Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.
- 6:30 p.m.
Premiere of the theatre play Caure – To Fall, written by Helena Tornero, which explores the lives of silenced women, followed by a debate with the playwright and cast. El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, Barcelona.
- Thursday, 31 October
- 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Open debate “Destacant la memòria de les dones a la resistència”. The WIRE team of Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland to explain how to raise awareness about the role of women of resistance movements.
- 12 noon – 1:00 p.m.
Presentation of the digital repository with stories of the lives of these women reconstructed during the project and online exhibition of digital resources prepared by students: video games, board games, podcasts, etc. Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.
For more information on the project please visit: https://webs.uab.cat/wire