"Men make history; women are history"
Oswald Spengler, Historian and Philosopher (1880 - 1936)
One of the primary functions of women's history has been to contest Oswald Spengler's notorious quote. 136 historians from across the world will meet at the University of Aberdeen to do just that at the Women's History Network 12th Annual Conference next week (Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14).
The Women's History Network is a national association which promotes women's history and encourages women interested in history. This is the first time that the conference has met in Aberdeen and delegates will be attending from as far afield as New Zealand, Vietnam, South Africa and USA as well as from across Europe. 91 papers will be delivered by historians over the two day conference.
Keynote speakers are Joni Seager, Professor of Geography and Women's Studies at the University of Vermont and Eileen Yeo, Professor of Social and Cultural History at the University of Strathclyde.
Professor Seager's paper, 'Blaming Women (again) the Population - Environment Debates' will discuss how blaming environmental problems on "overpopulation" points the finger at "poor women, 'minority women' and women in non-European or American countries who pay a high price for being blamed for global environmental ills."
The conference will be opened by Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, formerly of Aberdeen University, and now Professor of History at Trinity College, Dublin.
This is followed by a wide-ranging collection of papers offering diverse and intriguing insight into many aspects of women's history. Further information about the Women's History Network and a full index of papers can be found at www.womenshistorynetwork.org
Issued by Public Relations Office, External Relations, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen. Tel: (01224) 272013 Fax: (01224) 272086. Contact: Emma Darling