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Newsletter 31 News from National Committees

SWITZERLAND

CONFERENCES

The 10th Conference of Swiss Women Historians, February 18-19, 2000 at the University of Fribourg focused on three main issues.

The first issue was the feminist theory of science critique that serves as a platform to discuss feminist epistemology and a constructivistic approach. In the workshop "The Construction of Sex and Sexuality" the myth of the woman-Pope Johanna was, via discourse analysis, identified as a product of misogynistic discourse. The American philosopher Sandra Harding discussed situated knowledge with the commentary provided by Mona Singer who underlined the compatibility of situated knowledge with the claim of scientific objectivity.

The second issue centered on gender-specific differences in knowledge, science, jobs and organizations. The workshop on the "Feminizing of the Teaching Profession" uncovered the processes by which specific female knowledge is underrated and male knowledge is overrated. The workshop "On Women in Male Spheres and Men in Female Spheres" dealt with structural barriers and cultural stereotypes which women are confronted in traditionally male jobs and men in traditionally female jobs. The keynote speaker for this theme, Karen Offen, discussed feminism and gender affected policies of the transmission of knowledge in Europe during the 19th century. Brigitte Studer from the University of commented on the gendering of scientific knowledge, especially on the mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion.

The third issue dealt with knowledge transmission in the sense of gender specific socialization and social disciplining, home upbringing and professional training. The workshop centered on the "Influence of the Family on the professional training of boys and girls." Moreover the male ideal of female education was illustrated with examples taken from history. Liliane Mottu-Weber from Geneva University presented a paper on the history of female education in the Western part of Switzerland.
The conference was a great success. It hosted about 300 participants and 74 speakers from countries throughout Europe, Canada and the USA.

PUBLICATIONS

In May 2000, Marthe Gosteli, the founder of the Swiss women's movement archives in Worblaufen near Berne (see Journal of women's history 2000), published two volumes of sources regarding Swiss and international women's associations. The yearbook of Swiss women ("Jahrbuch der Schweizerfrauen") was edited from 1914 to 1963. The chronicle not only contains the most important actions and events of different Swiss women's groups during this period but puts also in evidence the international network of women and the participation of Swiss women in it. As the entire collection of the yearbook has become rare, Marthe Gosteli decided to reprint and richly illustrate the chronical part of the yearbook which is written in German, French and Italian. These sources are most valuable to all historians of European women's history.

Marthe Gosteli (Hg.), Vergessene Geschichte. Illustrierte Chronik der Frauenbewegung 1914-1963 / Histoire oubliée. Chronique illustrée du mouvement féministe 1914-1963, 2 vol., 1088 p. Berne, Staempfli 2000. ISBN 3-7272-9256-3. Price: CHF 78.-, DM 98.- or Euro 50.11. Orders are taken by the bookstores or the publishing house: Staempfli Verlag AG, Hallerstrasse 7, Postfach 8326, CH-3001 Berne, fax: +4131/ 300 66 88 or e-mail: Verlag@staempfli.com.

-complied by Catherine Bosshart