XX Anniversary of "Colloquium on women: Spain and the United States"

XX Anniversary of "Colloquium on women: Spain and the United States"

The celebration in 2015 of the XNUMXth anniversary of the "Colloquium on Women: Spain and the United States" invites a reflection on the meaning of this series over three decades and on the topics that we have chosen and discussed with the purpose of creating greater awareness of the reality experienced by women on both sides of the Atlantic.

A brief review of the various themes of the colloquiums reveals certain salient facts: while the list includes “Women and racism”, “Social and legal implications of pornography”, “Feminism in Spain and the United States”, “Women and health”, “Women and the business challenge”, it is noteworthy that we have twice presented different variations on the theme of violence and mistreatment of women and of women and power. How can we not recognize that violence against women? woman is a constant reality of the XNUMXth and XNUMXst century and that we have not yet witnessed the election of a female head of state?

On the other hand, it is a source of great joy to verify that the issue of "Homosexual marriage or civil union" that we presented in June 2005 with a dualistic vision between gay marriage legalized in Spain and the lack of it in the US would be well different if it were presented in 2015, after the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. In this context, the colloquium on women is a living testimony of the process of evolution and sometimes "involution" that women experience and of the essential importance crossing geographical, social and political borders.

The theme of the 2015 colloquium, "Borders and Barriers: Challenges for Refugee Women in Spain and the United States," follows our mission and promises to address the circumstances that prevent full citizenship for women in Spain and the US and offer a space for reflection, analysis and activism.

We celebrate the achievements made over 30 years and the need to point out the barriers to equality and create a decent world for women and men.

Linda Levine, Montclair University

Organizing Committee