Labour migration is part of the common European history of the 20th century. Although it continues to shape European societies today, it receives little attention in collective memory and educational programs – especially when it comes to female migrant workers.
The transnational project FeMig.Lab makes these stories and their consequences for today’s mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion of migrants as well as for intersectional discrimination structures visible. Our aim is to counteract anti-migrant and sexist narratives on a local and transnational level.
To this end, we bring together museums, memorials, research and cultural institutions as well as migrant organizations across Europe to exchange ideas and work on a differentiated and intersectional representation of European migration history and its intertwining with colonialism, the Cold War and the struggle for democratic and diverse societies.
In addition, exemplary testimonies of (working) migrant women will be collected and prepared for a digital educational platform. These testimonies are accompanied by practical approaches that show how the presence and impact of female migrant workers in the European history of the 20th century can be integrated and made more visible in today’s educational and exhibition programs.
During the project’s kick-off workshop, we
- gain insights into the history and engagement of female labour migrants in the city of Berlin and educational projects,
- get to know each others work experiences and perspectives on the topic of female labour migration,
- elaborate the common goals of the project network and the steps ahead in the project,
- and discuss a first concept for an online platform/digital exhibition which should present exemplary testimonies of female (labour) migrants and educational tools as a long-term output of the project.
