The international research team consisting of Tea Hvala, Jasmina Jerant, Manca G. Renko, Ivana Hadjievska, Jana Kocevska, Ivana Dragšić, Gabrijela Ivanov, Tihana Bertek and Marino Čajdo has initiated the research for WoW Places activity in June 2020.
The first phase is dedicated to mapping of individuals, collectives, movements and places linked to feminism and the struggles for gender equality. In parallel, the structure of the publication (guide) and individual entries are being developed. The end results of the activity will be the guide and an interactive app which will invite local and international users to revisit feminist cultural heritage in the region.
Biographies of Slovenian research team:
Jasmina Jerant, a recent returnee to Ljubljana, has for the past ten years mostly lived between Santa Cruz, California, and Budapest, Hungary, where she completed her MA in Political Science at the Central European University. She is the former editor of Arts and Humanities at Ljubljana’s community radio station, Radio Študent where she also hosted a feminist radio show called Sektor Ž, which is still going strong today. She writes short stories and sees both life and places as narratives. Jasmina Jerant has travelled to many cities but has never stumbled upon such consistently vibrant alternative and feminist scenes as the ones in Ljubljana. She is currently working on her PhD at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana.
Tea Hvala has a BA in comparative literature and sociology of culture and an MA in gender anthropology. She is a freelance writer and art critic. Between 2008 and 2016, she organised group sci-fi writing workshops for young people, entitled In Other Wor(l)ds. Since 2015, she has been the co-organiser of the Deuje babe (Wild Hags) festival at the C.M.A.K. Youth Centre where she also helps develop the cultural programme for young people. Since 2018, she has been coordinating the arts education programme at the City of Women. She is the co-author of teaching materials #8MarchEveryDay (2016–2020) and Mali pojmovnik sodobne umetnosti (Short Glossary of Contemporary Art Terms) (2020) as well as the co-author of the workshops for educators Mozaik sodobnih umetnosti (Contemporary Art Mosaic, 2019).
Manca G. Renko Dr is a historian researching women in post-war transitions under the auspices of the ERC Eirene project at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. She focuses on the periods after the First and Second World Wars, and her focus is on intellectuals and artists of the Yugoslav and Austro-Hungarian cultural space. She is also active in the cultural field, being particularly interested in literature and pop culture – both as entertainment and a mission.
Biographies of Croatian research team:
Tihana Bertek graduated Art History and English in Zagreb, and Gender Studies in Budapest. She is a translator, journalist, and executive editor of the community media VoxFeminae.net, with a professional focus on contemporary art, feminism, and media.
Gabrijela Ivanov is MSc in Computer Science by formal education and by calling activist in the fields of independent media, culture, and gender equality. Founder of the VoxFeminae.net media, social enterprise Fierce-Women.net and co-author of the educational card game Fierce Women.
Marino Čajdo has been active in CSO sector since 2010 and has been a Common zone team member since 2013. He is the producer of the Vox Feminae Festival, public relations coordinator, and journalist, focused primarily on independent culture, and projects in the local community. He is the co-founder of association Flamingo.
Željka Vučković is a sociologist, ethnologist and cultural anthropologist. She has been working with Common zone since 2014 as an editor of community media VoxFeminae.net, administrator, and coordinator and assistant on projects in the fields of gender equality, media, and youth education.
Biographies of North Macedonia research team:
Ivana Dragsic is a sociologist, activist and civic worker who bases her interest on topics woven into politics such as: feminism, ecology, culture and institution building. She is active within Freedom Square (Ploštad Sloboda), an organization that deals with topics such as urban planning and public space, urban green space, resource management and the promotion of the commons as a new model of governance. She also edits and hosts “Discordia” – a music show on the independent radio Kanal 103 in Skopje, and is a regular DJ in Skopje clubs and beyond.
Ivana Hadjievska is a historian and an independent researcher. She has graduated on the Institute of History, Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje. She has received the award “26th of July” (2018) and the Recognition of the University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” (2019) for best achievements. Her main fields of research are social history and history of women from the Balkans. Recently her research interests are memory politics. She has participated on many scientific conferences and published papers in national and international journals. She works on projects that connect humanities with inclusive education and local activism.
Jana Kocevska graduated at the Institute for Ethnology and Anthropology in Skopje. She works at the Association for the promotion of women’s activity – Tiiiit! Inc. and she is a founding member of the feminist festival ПРВО ПА ЖЕНСКО (FIRSTBORN GIRL). She is one of the founders of the Centre for Research of Nationalism and Culture (CINIK) as well. Jana is a collaborator at the Skopje Pride Weekend and at the Festival of Critical Culture – CRIC in Skopje, organized by Kontrapunkt. Aspects of interest in her work are related to gender equality, cultural policies and human rights.