Childhoods and Women in Memories of War

The Second World War is probably the most enduring event and conflict in contemporary societies and their memories. The (re)construction of these memories remains, almost 80 years after its end, a challenge or even an unresolved issue. In this sense, the integration and problematization of the roles and experiences of vulnerable, subaltern or secondary subjects has emerged as one of the most urgent aspects.

In this International Congress, the result of the REMEMCHILD project (Remembering Childhood in European Wartimes), we will address the various dimensions that connect the history of childhoods with war experiences, as well as the changes throughout contemporary times. Childhoods that were agents, victims or recipients of the war and the policies that followed, and whose history is irremediably interconnected with other variables, such as gender or the system of coloniality. Considering that war memories transcend the chronology of the conflict and are part of the evolutions and resistance experienced throughout the century, the panels and conferences of this Congress will highlight the role of women as agents of social change, the meanings of war experiences for/of childhood and the impact of colonialism. Furthermore, attendees will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition “Childhoods in a World at War (1939-1945),“ which was developed as part of the REMEMCHILD project.

Cover image: Women’s work during the war, India. Cleaning and oiling tasks in a factory in Mumbai. ©Library of Congress (2017697626)