"Freedom, Equality... for Everyone? Women Fighting for Social Advancement 1700-1918"

Historical Institute, Institutes of English Studies and Romance Studies
of the University of Wroclaw
20.11.2018-21.11.2018, Wroclaw, UNIWERSYTET WROCLAWSKI Instytut
Historyczny
Deadline: 30.06.2018

The Historical Institute of the University of Wroclaw, together with the
Institutes of English Studies and Romance Studies, invite scholars and
PhD students to participate in the international conference Freedom,
Equality... for Everyone? Women Fighting for Social Advancement
1700-1918, to be held in Wroclaw, Poland, on November 20-21, 2018. The
first words of the conference topic invoke the slogan of the French
Revolution which aimed at democratizing society and, consequently,
changing the old-world order. These postulates would seem to remain
valid today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of World
War I, which contributed significantly to the progressive implementation
of Enlightenment ideas, the enshrinement of the right to vote for women,
and the establishment of gender equality in the majority of European
countries. Although attempts to improve women's position in society can
be observed throughout history, we would like to concentrate our
discussion on "the long 18th and 19th centuries", as that era's
political, economic, and - most importantly - mental transformations set
the stage for 20th-century breakthroughs.   

We encourage experienced researchers, young scholars, and PhD students
to focus on the following issues:

STARTING POINT  
- the position of women in societies: representations and realities;
- the social status of women in the comparative perspective (different
countries and cultures);
- motivations to take action aimed at the emancipation of marginalised
groups.

MEASURES AND METHODS, SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
- strategies of individuals, groups and organisations in their struggle
for legal equality or against pro-democracy movements;
- circumstances facilitating women's social advancement; effects of
specific actions and factors contributing to successes/defeats;
- attitudes towards changes in society.

NARRATION AND INTERPRETATION
- studying the emancipation of marginalised groups: current state of
research, methods, difficulties and limitations, new subjects and
perspectives;   
- women's and other groups' struggles for social advancement, as
represented in scholarly works, literature, visual arts, and mass media
(press, cinema, comics, games, Internet);
- the issue of gender in political and journalistic discourses.

The aforementioned issues indicate the main directions of the
anticipated discussion; however, we strongly encourage the submission of
other proposals related to the main theme of the conference.

For more details (registration, locations, schedule etc.) see the
website or contact Dorota Wisniewska.