Commemoration of 8M, International Women's Day, at the UAB

Pinpointing the origin of March 8 has always been a struggle, especially to find a concrete and common event in which to establish it. Despite this, there is a consensus in marking the struggle of American textile workers in the late 19th century and early 20th century and the repression they suffered as the inspiration for this day. 

This day’s commemoration is still one of the most relevant dates in the fight for women’s rights, being an international day of visibility, awareness and joint protest. 

As every year, the UAB organises some activities to recall this day. The Observatory for Equality organises an institutional conference as the main event which this year will be held on March 10 at 12 noon in the Conference room of the Rectorate. To attend, you must register in advance by filling in this form. The event will also be live-streamed on the UAB’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/UABBarcelona). 

The conference will be opened and chaired by Javier Lafuente, rector of the UAB, followed by a speech by Esther Zapater, secretary general of the UAB, and Maria Prats Ferret, director of the Observatory for Equality, who will present the main work lines of the Observatory.  

In this edition, professor Encarna Bodelón, from the Department of Political Science and Public Law, Unit of Philosophy of Law at the Faculty of Law of the UAB, will receive the recognition award. Bodelón is an expert in women’s rights and is the co-director of the postgraduate diploma in Gender and Equality at the UAB, a postgraduate program that has been offered at the university for over twenty years, in collaboration with the Diputació de Barcelona (Barcelona County Council). She is also the director of the Antígona research group at the UAB and is a member of the Dones Juristes (Women Lawyers) association. The recognition ceremony counts with Encarna Bodelón’s presentation by Francesca Puigpelat, retired professor of the Faculty of Law of the UAB, the screening of a video tribute and a gift. 

In addition, the conference «Una lectura interseccional al conveni d’Estambul» (An intersectional reading on the Istanbul Convention) will be given by Ruth Mestre, professor of Philosophy of Law and member of the Human Rights Institute of the University of Valencia, as a specialist in Feminist Theory of Law. 

The event will be info-accessible and will have a language sign interpreter and subtitles. 

At the UAB, in addition to the event organised by the Observatory, various activities will take place around the 8th of March to commemorate the day from different fields and disciplines. 

3 of march at 12 noon - Situació de la dona a la ciència (Woman’s situation in science) 

Event at the Science and Technology library where the video made on the occasion of the 11 F will be presented as well as the exhibition Investigadoras de la Luz (Researchers of Light). 

4 of march at 4:30 p.m. - Feminist indisciplines, against Capitalism 

The Minor in Gender Studies is organising a conference on feminism and Marxism by Shahrzard Mojab (University of Toronto) and on feminism and anarchism by Chiara Bottici (The New School for Social Research). It will be held at the Sala de Graus of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and can also be followed online. 

7 of march at 9:30 a.m. - Amelia Tiganus’ Conference 

The UAB’s Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology organises a conference by Amelia Tiganus as a writer and activist against the system of prostitution at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. 

7 of march at 1:15 p.m. - Emprenedoria en Femení (Entrepreneurship in Feminine) Conferencence 

The 3rd edition of the Emprenedoria en Femení (Entrepreneurship in Feminine) Conferencence will be held at the Conference Room of the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies, with the participation of three women that will explain their entrepreneurial project. 

8 of march at 12 noon - CCOO event on the occasion of 8M    

Assembly on the occasion of 8M, organised by the Comisiones Obreras (Workers' Commissions) trade union. It will be held in the Sala Teatre (Plaça Cívica), and will be accessible until full capacity is reached. There will be a reading of the 8M feminist manifesto, a musical performance by @solhomarmusicworld with the show "AGUACLARA, mujeres, música y danza". 

8 of march at 1 p.m. - Closing act of the exhibition Dr. María Cristina Vicente 

The Science and Technology Library organises, at the library hall, an official closing act of the exhibition about the scientific work of Dr. María Cristina Vicente Gómez. 

8 of march at 3 p.m. - Women Leader in Tech UAB+UPF 

The School of Engineering of the UAB organises in collaboration with the UPF a round table where the speakers, women with a long professional career in the technology sector, will share their experiences. The event can be followed online, as well as in the Sala de Graus at the School of Engineering, where a discussion will be held afterwards.   

9 of march at 10 a.m. - Commemoration of 8M at the Faculty of Law 

The Equality Commission of the Faculty of Law and the Antígona research group organise, at the Aula magna of the Faculty of Law, the presentation of the results of the project Claves ius-filosóficas para el análisis de la jurisprudencia sobre agresiones y abusos sexuales [Ius-philosophical keys for the analysis of jurisprudence on sexual assault and abuse] (JURISAGREX) by Dr. Encarna Bodelón.  Moreover, a round table will be held about the Draft Organic Law on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom and the treatment of prostitution, and the book Putas, república y evolución (Whores, republic and evolution) will be presented.