25 objects that make us rethink the role of women in history

BarcelonaA claw, a chair, a laundry paddle, a plume, a printing press, a dress, an urn, or a corset. These are some of the 25 objects that journalist Sílvia Marimon Molas, Culture Editor at ARA, has featured in the book Inventory of silenced stories (Eumo Editorial), an essential and highly educational journey through everyday objects that have been crucial in shaping our society today. Objects that Marimon links to both renowned and anonymous women who have too often been forgotten in history books.

The author acknowledges that she has always been fascinated by archaeology and emphasizes that the multidisciplinary work now being done in this field, with the participation of geneticists and bioarchaeologists, for example, allows for a different analysis of objects that may have been found years ago and that "now tell us a story." Along the same lines, she also highlights the importance of the inclusion of women in these research groups, as they are asking different questions that allow us to approach history in a much more comprehensive way. "I think that, in a way," she says, "this book is not only mine, but also belongs to all those women who are researching and who have contributed to asking new questions that force us to rethink certain historical events."

This way of working with and studying history from a more global perspective and with a gender lens has allowed us to change the historical narrative that until now had been taken for granted. This is the case, explains Silvia Marimon, with cave paintings. "For a long time, it was thought that these paintings revolved entirely around men and that only they painted." Now, however, scientific research has discovered that women also painted. In the end, as the journalist affirms, "this shows us that women have been much more present in history than we have sometimes been led to believe."

Marimon connects each of the objects chosen for the book with female figures who haven't always received the recognition they deserve. She chose to address this through objects because she recognizes that, for her, "objects have a special power." "Books, stories, or documents are important because they give you context, a snapshot of that era. But an object has something special; it's much more sensory, and that allows you to take a more personal journey," she explains. The journalist asserts that objects allow for a more intimate approach to the person and reveal their relationship with that item, "whereas documents have been written by someone who tells you how you should think, who tells you what you should see."

The book highlights objects that have often been overlooked precisely because they are part of everyday life, objects that Marimon wanted to reclaim. As she explains, we often think these objects aren't important "because they haven't changed history, but the truth is that many have. The objects I talk about in the book demonstrate that there have always been women who, starting with everyday objects, changed things, like the obstetric mannequin designed by the French midwife Ang, which generated respect for the figure of midwives." Another example of the power of objects is the dress Juliana Morell wore to defend her thesis and become the first woman to earn a doctorate outside of academia, at a time when women were not allowed to enter university.

For all these reasons, the author hopes the book will prompt readers to question certain aspects of women's contributions to history and society: "Women have always worked, they have always fought, and at times they even wielded considerable power," she says. Throughout history, they have asserted themselves and defended their right to work, to exercise their freedom, to demonstrate for their rights or for what is essential, or to speak about everything, including sex, as the trobairitz did, or perinatal mourning, as in the case of women in Iberian culture. As Sílvia Marimon concludes, the intention is "to pay tribute to all these women and to remember that things can indeed be changed from the ground up, both collectively and individually, and that it's not always necessary to follow the established path." "Most of the women I discuss in the book deviated from the established path and managed to bring about very important changes despite facing overwhelming odds; and we are their heirs." As the journalist explains, the stories told by the objects she has made protagonists suggest that everything could have been different and that there could be a completely new narrative. Similarly, the lives of all these women, who have been made invisible for many years, point to the fact that things don't always have to be as they've been presented to us.

What the chairs tell us

Chairs bear witness to many intimate and domestic scenes, but they have also been a symbol of power over others, as Marimon explains. In this sense, the author recounts how Chairs have been a very important object in the female universe throughout the centuries.There was a time when it was common for women to sit in lower chairs than their husbands, supposedly as a symbol of respect and submission, and when it was also common for queens and princesses to appear in portraits holding a chair, as a symbol of status. Not forgetting that chairs were also an essential tool for midwives and matrons for decades.

Carriers who left their mark

Historical research has shown how the heavy labor performed by women throughout the centuries has left its mark on female anatomy. This is the case with the changes detected in the skeletons of women who lived in present-day Sudan more than 3,000 years ago, who exhibited degenerative lesions in the cervical region as a result of years of carrying weight on their backs secured with straps across their foreheads. In Catalonia, rural women also suffered the consequences of having to carry for years what were known as "portadoras," wooden containers used, for example, to transport grapes during the harvest.

Corsets that were instruments of torture

For years, women were subjected to the tyranny of corsets, garments that were veritable instruments of torture. Dolors Aleu, a physician and pioneer among women who were able to study medicine in Spain, was the first to speak out against their use, declaring them an attack on women's health. They caused nausea, intestinal disorders, poor circulation, gynecological problems, and fainting spells. Two factors ultimately contributed to the permanent banishment of corsets: women's growing interest in sports and the First World War, which forced many women into the workforce, requiring more comfortable clothing that allowed for greater freedom of movement.