Can our heritage be interpreted from the viewpoint of gender?

This is one of the questions that will be in focus of the 18th edition of European Heritage Days in Bizkaia. With the goal of bringing the role of women into a more integrational historical and cultural narrative, this year's events will be organised with the theme Ondarea, emakumeen emaria / Heritage: women's legacy. 

The theme will provide a new lens for observing and interpreting heritage, taking into account not just cultural actors but society as a whole.

Spotlight on the Role of Women

Can we see the contribution made by women to the creation, transfer, knowledge and conservation of the assets (buildings and objects, tangible and intangible) that make up the cultural heritage of Bizkaia? Are we really aware that women at all periods of history, whose names we do not know, have made their mark on Bizkaia and given it the character that it now has?

These issues will be examined from a broad, multi-disciplinary, integrational perspective, analysing the role of women in building the culture of Bizkaia. That will include the roles and tasks that they have undertaken voluntarily, and also those that they have been forced to undertake. The emphasis will also be put on their work as vehicles for passing on traditions and fostering collective remembrance, their acceptance (or non-acceptance) of the patterns of behaviour assigned to them by society in each period, as well as the breaks with established tradition that they have made in the past and continue to make day by day.

In addition to this, the theme will highlight the knowledge women hold at home and elsewhere, their active participation in the history of Bizkaia, in politics, religion, the economy, etc., as well as their presence in the creation and patronage of culture, their work in the past and in the present, their image in myths, rituals ad popular beliefs, etc.

The Provincial Council of Bizkaia Invites Everyone to Get Involved

European Heritage Days in Bizkaia take place in October and everyone is encouraged to participate. In 2017, almost 300 activities were presented in 78 municipalities, helping the public learn more about the heritage of the territory. The success of the campaign lies mainly in the participation and engagement of more and more local actors such as municipal councils, public and private organisations, professional bodies and cultural groups, coordinated by the Provincial Council.

This year, Bizkaia expects participation of over 100 social and cultural groups and organisations from more than 70 municipalities in the province. As the coordinator of the campaign, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia invited all citizens, organisations, and individual volunteers to organise culture-related open-door activities, and thus to help disseminate the cultural heritage of the territory and highlight its broad cultural legacy with a view to promoting and conserving it.

This is an excellent opportunity to tackle the matter of women's contribution to the transmission and maintenance of cultural heritage, with a view to constructing a more integrational, enriching narrative.

For more information visit www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus/jep