FEMBOOKS · Labour and Practices of Women in Publishing During the Democratic Transitions in Argentina (Ada Korn Editora, 1984-1989) and Spain (Ediciones Torremozas, 1982-1986)

This research project is framed at the intersection between the history of publishing, sociology and literature studies, with specific focus on gender, bibliodiversity in the creative economy of publishing, and the narrative shaping of democracy. It proposes a comparative study of the yet-to-be-explored archives of two small, independent publishing houses established and led by women in mutual contexts of post-dictatorship transition to democracy: Ada Korn Editora, founded by Ada Korn in 1984 in Buenos Aires, in the immediate aftermath of the 1976-1983 civic-military dictatorship in Argentina; and Ediciones Torremozas, founded by Luzmaría Jiménez Faro in 1982 in Madrid, following Franco’s 36-year dictatorship in Spain (1939-1975). During this period of social effervescence, AKE and ET expanded the limits of the literary field challenging whom and what is considered published literature supporting cultures of democracy within the publishing sector. Scholars have announced the crisis of print culture aggravated with the increasing power of digital platforms and the erosion of the authority of public intellectuals. Nonetheless, the economic and cultural weight of creative industries is significant and the publishing industry remains a privileged space to spread ideas, and affect the social and political landscape. The current democratic deficit various countries experience, such as Argentina following the 40th anniversary of the return of democracy, reinforce inequalities within creative industries that reproduce disparities when deciding which narratives circulate. This endangers bibliodiversity and gender equality. The case studies will be analysed within the transnational field of literature by focusing on material, aesthetical, and social dimensions.