Stefania Bianchi (Archivio storico ticinese), Jasmina Cornut (Univ. of Lausanne), and Miriam Nicoli (Univ. of Bern)

Time: 04.-05.06.2021
Venue: Sion, Valais, Switzerland
Proposals by: 01.09.2020

How can a history of the Alpine regions be written that systematically integrates female figures and an analysis of gender relations? How to describe life trajectories and the individual strategies of men and women between public and private sphere?

The aim of this congress is to highlight the agency and the multiple female roles in order to better understand the complexity of gender dynamics within the specific territorial reality of the Alpine context.

This conference is part of the research project „Traces of lives lived. Men and women’s life trajectories recorded in private writings (Ticino and Graubünden – late 17th–first half of 19th centuries)“, developed by Miriam Nicoli and supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. It will focus on three main issues:

A first axis will consider the question of the feminine implications in private but also institutional (exercise of power) contexts and will highlight life trajectories (secular and religious) between transgression and conformism.

A second axis will discuss the topic of everyday life, work and migration strategies in the dynamics of male presence-absence, which was typical of the Alpine regions. Women as heads of households, women following their husbands, women entrepreneurs, etc.

A third axis will focus on the family’s dynamics, kinship, female solidarity (matronage, spiritual kinship, support networks), care (medicine, health), with an eye on the topic of sexuality (practices and legal conditions) as well as on contexts of conflict and marginality.

The geographical dimension will be the common thread of this colloquium. The literature has already much considered the research on the role of women and gender relations in the urban space. The aim of this conference is to focus on the analyses of the Alpine and pre-Alpine space, in order to pay particular attention to social stratification as well as to the connections between mountain and plain, center and periphery, also in terms of representation.

Speakers are invited to reflect on the question of sources in relation to methodology. Priority will be given to approaches based on women’s personal writings (diaries, biographies, correspondences, family and account books), but also on juridical testimonies and trials as preserved in archives. The colloquium will also provide an opportunity to reflect on female literacy, considering the critical aspects resulting from the lack of explicit textual sources dealing with women’s biographies.

Finally, this conference intends to propose a transversal and critical reflection on women’s trajectories in their complexity between adaptation to the norm, conflict or rupture, in order to problematize totalizing analytical models. Life stories, if contextualized with ability, with micro-historical and gender-sensitive approaches, represent the place where women emerge from anonymity and escape the risk of generalization.

Presentation procedures
Communication proposals should include a title and an abstract of about 2,500 characters, as well as a short personal presentation (up to 2,000 characters, including function, institutional affiliation, main publications, e-mail). To be submitted to Miriam Nicoli (miriam.nicoli@hist.unibe.ch) before 1 September 2020. Notification of inclusion in the conference will be sent by November 2020.

Form
The presentations will last 20 minutes and can be given in Italian, French or English (PowerPoint presentations must be in English).

It is planned to publish a selection of the papers presented, taking into account the opinion of the Scientific Committee and external evaluators. Therefore, we invite you to propose original and unpublished research.

Practical arrangements
The organization of the conference will cover the cost of two overnight stays at a hotel (in case the participant´s university does not take charge) and meals. Travel expenses should, as far as possible, be borne by the participants.

Scientific Committee
Patrizia AUDENINO, Università degli Studi di Milano
Dionigi ALBERA, University of Aix-Marseille
Stefania BIANCHI, Archivio storico ticinese
Jasmina CORNUT, University of Lausanne
Sandro GUZZI-HEEB, University of Lausanne
Miriam NICOLI, University of Bern

Source: https://www.ruralhistory.eu/newsletter/2020/rhn-2020-037