Jenny Wüstenberg has described “slow memory” as shifting “attention from ‘eventful’ and ‘sited’ pasts to those that are slow-moving”. This might seem contrary to the study of commemoration, which is usually associated with specific historical events: for example, the end of a war, the founding of a nation, or the start of a revolution. However, there are many dates in our calendar that appear to commemorate or celebrate something specific and yet which are not associated with a single event. This allows them to act as “sliding signifiers” and attach themselves to multiple histories and multiple meanings in different times and places. One such slow commemoration is the 8 March. For some, the 8 March is a commemoration of women’s emancipation, for others a day to mark women’s traditional role as mothers, in the post-Socialist space it is sometimes seen as a Soviet spectre, and in neo-liberal capitalism a cynical and commercialised effort to appear to support equality without actually working towards it.
To help us develop this concept, we have 2 requests (please feel free to respond to 1 or both; open to anyone in the action – you don’t need to be in WG3!)
- As part of the action’s virtual exhibition, Working Group 3 will showcase “slow commemoration” by gathering images of the 8 March across time and place, alongside short captions that outline what the date meant in that specific context. Network members are asked to send between 1 and 5 images with a 2-3 sentence explanation of what is shown. An example from the UK is given below. Make sure your images are copyright-free, or that you have permission for us to use them in the exhibition.
- Working Group 3 will produce a podcast about the Slow Commemoration of the 8 March, to be published on the 8 March 2024. We invite you to contribute short sound recordings of what the 8 March means to you, a member of your family, a friend, a colleague, a research participant etc. It could be a 1-sentence snippet, or a full interview. Make sure you have permission for us to use it in the podcast!
The deadline for both submissions is 5 January 2024. Please send submissions to the WG3 co-chairs Maija Spurina (maija.spurina@gmail.com) and Sara Jones (s.jones.1@bham.ac.uk). If files are large, please use a file-sharing system (e.g., WeTransfer, Sharepoint etc.).
