Seminars

This seminar introduced us to the intersections of gender, ecology and class in the lived experience of women living in the mining areas of Silesia and Asturias. The speakers made reference to issues that are truly relevant to our current conversations on the Anthropocene, such asas green capitalism, decarbonisation and deindustrialisation, and confronted the challenges—political, economic and social—of such processes both in Poland and in Asturias. The session reviewed the emotional landscapes woven in the mining communities in both countries and the health-related problems (particularly silicosis and mental-health issues) that transpire in the narratives and testimonies of members of these communities. The contradictions implicit in the transformation of these areas in the name of ecology were also eloquently touched upon in the session.Glosowitz introduced us to the creative potential of artistic interventions in the mining areas of Upper Silesia and Martínez-González illustrated the need for more archival research in order to make women miners more visible.