Raising Voices from the Low Countries

Labour and female migration shaped 20th-century Europe, yet migrant women’s work experiences and voices remain overlooked in academia and public discourse.

The workshop examines female migration and its intersection with labour history in the Low Countries, drawing on research, oral history, museums, NGOs, and migrant women’s perspectives. A key focus is on representing female migrants in research and education: How can communities participate in telling their stories? What principles guide participatory methods like oral history?

Participants engage with projects, group discussions, research from the CGM Network, a guided city tour in Leuven, and a visit to the Red Star Line Museum.

This workshop sheds light the overlooked histories of female labour migration in Europe. FeMig.Lab challenges anti-migrant and sexist narratives by uniting museums, research institutions, the CGM Network, and migrant organizations to build an intersectional narrative of European migration, linked to colonialism, the Cold War, and struggles for diverse societies. Outputs include a digital exhibition and tools to integrate female migrant histories into education and exhibitions.