FEM-RESIST · Women, Photography and Resistance in Transnational Perspective

This study focuses on the work of women photographers who participated in resistance movements and whose images were made to expose and resist repressive regimes. Although the significance of these activist movements is widely recognised, the role of women photographers remains marginalised and under-researched. At the centre of this project is an exploration of the lives and work of the women who formed part of the Dutch resistance movement, De Ondergedoken Camera (The Underground Camera), and of the women who were members of the anti-apartheid photography collective, Afrapix. This research will deepen understandings of the role women have played in resistance activities in transnational perspective. This research will open academic and public discussions about women and resistance in transnational perspective, will deepen understandings of women’s experiences, and ultimately aims to address gender inequality, a cross-cutting objective of the Horizon 2020 programme. I will be hosted at the Netherlands Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NIOD) in Amsterdam, where I will be supervised and mentored by Professor Ismee Tames. The research is premised on Responsible Research and Innovation and will result in a symposium on photography and resistance; a special issue of a journal on the theme of women and resistance; an exhibition of photographs at NIOD and related public discussions; three workshops for emerging researchers and young people; and the publication of four peer-reviewed articles. The overall aim of the project is to strengthen my research capacity and skills to assist in securing a leading research position that will enable me to contribute my knowledge and skills towards the goal of achieving more reflective, cohesive and equitable societies.