Writing in Female Europe

Abstract
WIFE will study the dynamics of cultural processes between various countries during the long 19th century, and the roles women played here. Focus is on 5 countries usually considered as “peripheral”, where women’s writing from abroad was received and influential. The objective is to move away from the current globalizing approach which takes into account first and foremost women’s writing published in the “dominating” cultures – feminist or not.

During this century, where women started travelling and feminism developed into an international “wave”, the national-identitarian function of literature may have conflicted, for women, with its gender-identitarian function. This contrast was particularly acute in “smaller” countries, where the activities of English, French and German women authors were often regarded as threatening.

For the 5 countries the subject will first be documented in an existing and appropriate online database. This allows quantitative analyses leading to selections – not based on value – for qualitative interpretation of the texts. These include comparative analysis between the women’s texts and the critical comments, translations and other re-writings (by men and women).

The collaboration is to take place within an existing scholarly network, whereas each of the participants is also working within her own research institute for which this subject is relevant. The PIs 1, 3, 4 and 5 will provide monographs presenting overviews for the 4 countries concerned. They will make use of research by PhDs exploring (A) book historical evidence (PI 2, 4 and 5) and (B) the role of translators (PI 1 and 6). These publications – and a general synthesis – will be in English, but will lead also to dissemination activities in the 5 languages.

SvD, May 2009

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