R
ecently, we can observe an increase in interest in women’s rights in Poland and worldwide. Many governments, including the Polish one, tend to limit human rights. Based on this reflection, women try to strengthen their identity, reaching to history and mythology, reminding them of how important they were and are for human civilization.
Lexicon offers a lot of books, posters and leaflets that describe and show these activities. In our autumn campaign, we would like to present the books published in recent months and indicate to our partners – scholar institutions worldwide – the main perspectives and activities of Polish researchers, activists and writers.
Below we present a few topics out of many, which are present in the discussion concerning the role of women, the world from their perspective and their own perception of womanhood. You can obtain the mentioned books and many more in our Feminism, Gender, Human Rights campaign. A part of the income from this campaign (20%) will support Centrum Praw Kobiet, a Polish foundation for women in need.
Tenure – a barrier or a career
Nowadays, we often forget how long and problematic the path of women to higher education was. This topic was raised by Iwona Dadej, who focuses on the first women who had a chance to enter university structures in Poland at the beginning of the last century.
The book is part of the research on the history of education and scholarship. It is devoted to the phenomenon of the (non) presence of women in the academic structures of Polish scholarship in the first half of the 20th century (especially during the Second Polish Republic) and the first attempts to enter the university hierarchy system, one of the manifestations of which was tenure. The author focuses on the first postdoctoral students, groups and specific people, their cultural and social backgrounds, and examines their impact on the structural changes of the academic system.
Women for Poland, Poland for women
Historical female figures are still waiting to be discovered. At the moment, many scholars, also in Poland, are recalling their achievements and goals, which they have realized for the benefit of future generations.
The subject of this book fits into the broad context of research on exclusion, discriminated communities, and the history of the forgotten and underestimated. Numerous authors of this collection look at the research area from such perspectives, trying to shed light on chronologically close and quite distant female figures, known by their names and surnames, often with well-described and documented careers and achievements, from various directions. Often, however, they are already forgotten or never discovered before.
Abortion Stories
Abortion has been an important, burning topic in Poland since two years ago it was ruled almost completely. Polish authors look at the subject from different angles and shed new light on this difficult experience, using various means.
The comic book created by Beata Rojek and Sonia Sobiech is based on interviews with five Polish women who anonymously shared their experiences of abortion with the authors. However, it is not a dry report or reportage. Fantastic characters, the order of dreams and symbols are woven into the current of true stories through poetic shifts. The authors boldly brought their sensibilities and imagination to create an engaging, expressive style.
Mythology according to women
Finally, we present a statement by Barbara Sadurska, writer, lawyer, and co-author of the anthology “Ziarno granatu” – mythology according to women: From the point of view of women, we can finally say that rape is rape, violence is violence, and crime is a crime.
Watch Barbara Sadurska talking about this anthology of short stories written by twelve exceptional Polish writers:
Check the complete list of books selected for the Lexicon campaign: Feminism, Gender, and Human Rights.
We allocate part of the income from this campaign to the Centrum Praw Kobiet, an organization supporting Polish women in need. If you want to participate, please provide your e-mail address by filling out the form.
