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Newsletter 32

News from National Committees

UNITED KINGDOM

The Women's History Network recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with a conference on 'Recreating the Past: women, gender and the rewriting of history' at London Guildhall University and at the almost open Women's Library (formerly the Fawcett Library). Over a busy two days a wide range of papers were given by scholars from across Britain as well as from Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Grenada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States - a truly international gathering.

The past President of the IFRWH, Pat Grimshaw, started the conference off with a captivating plenary on 'Women's History as an international project' while Jane Rendall, drew the proceedings to a close with her thoughtful assessment of 'Women's History in Britain Past, Present and future: Gendered Boundaries.' In between these two, the individual sessions ranged far and wide showing the energy still to be found in women's history generated both by established feminist historians as well as from new scholars (from inside and outside the academy). As ever it was a well-organised and a stimulating weekend. Preparations are already being made for the 2002 conference which will be at Royal Holloway College in Egham. Look out for the call for papers.

Meanwhile, in the regional WHN networks and in the Scottish WHN, a number of successful local conferences have been held during the last year such as on 'Women and War' (West of England and South Wales), 'Suffrage City: women's suffrage and cultural representation' (Midlands), 'Twisted Sisters: women, crime and deviance in Scotland' (Scottish). Although initially for a local audience, these conferences are attracting participants from across the globe. These and other conferences, organised by WHN members or of interest to WHN members, are publicised in the re-designed WHN Magazine (for more details see the WHN's website
www.lgu.ac.uk/fawcett/WHN/main.html or contact heloise.brown@ntlworld.com.

The Network also continues to support new scholars in the field of women's history/gender history through two essay prizes which honour the memory of the feminist historians Clare Evans (WHN prize) and Leah Leneman (Scottish WHN). In its ten year existence the WHN has sought to encourage women's history at the local, regional, national and international level; inside and outside universities, colleges and schools; and within and beyond the mainstream of History. The recent conference and the activities of the WHN and its Steering Committee suggest that the next ten years should be equally energetic. There is certainly still a real need for the Network - to support and stimulate existing historians of women and to encourage the development of new scholarship as well as to attract a wider public audience to women's history itself.

-compiled by Karen Hunt