Feminist archives, collectives, and cultural initiatives across Europe and beyond are continually documenting, imagining, and challenging the world around us. From memory work to resistance, they offer a wealth of perspectives and practices. We’ve put together a fresh selection of posts that reflect this vibrant and varied landscape. Take a look, explore, and pass along what speaks to you.
1. Breaking with the Summer Reading Tradition
Institution: Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
Instead of recommending only light, joyful summer reads, the Marguerite Durand Library invites readers to explore classic gothic novels — perfect for beach reading with a feminist twist. These novels often allowed women to resist societal constraints and pursue personal liberation.
Original Text:
🌤🦇 On rompt avec la tradition estivale consistant à ne vous proposer que des romans légers et joyeux. Qui a dit qu’on ne pouvait pas savourer de bons vieux romans gothiques sur la plage ? D’autant plus que ceux-ci ont toujours permis à leurs héroïnes de s’écarter des sentiers battus et de se libérer des carcans rigides de la société. Idéal, donc, comme lecture de vacances. Dites nous en commentaire quels livres vous mettrez (ou avez mis) dans votre valise cet été !
Topics:
feminist literature, gothic fiction, summer reading, women’s agency
Hashtags:
#booklover #bibliothequefeministe #bookstagramfrance #bookaddict #litteraturefeministe #gothgirl #gothaesthetic #gothstyle
2. Don’t Miss Our Newsletter
Institution: AEP Innsbruck
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
AEP encourages readers to sign up for their newsletter to stay informed. Recent issues include book recommendations and other highlights from the feminist center. Content is also available on their homepage.
Original Text:
Wer unseren Newsletter noch nicht erhält, verpasst vieles. Zum Beispiel unsere aktuelle Buchempfehlungen 🤩 Geheimtipp: man kann es auch auf unserer Homepage nachlesen.
Topics:
feminist books, newsletter, recommendations, reading tips
Hashtags:
#buchempfehlung #buecherliebe #booksbooksbooks
3. Lecture Series “Gender and Music”
Institution: FrauenGenderBibliothek Saar
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
This session of the “Gender and Music” series focuses on inclusive language for non-binary people. Participants are invited to explore the importance of linguistic sensitivity and engage with critical perspectives on gendered language. Speaker: Jaqü Suermann.
Original Text:
Die Ringvorlesung „Gender und Musik“ […] Wir wollen über die vielfältigen Möglichkeiten in unserer Sprache, auf nicht-binäre Personen Rücksicht zu nehmen, ins Gespräch kommen. Zudem wird diskutiert, wieso es eigentlich Sinn ergibt, das sprachlich zu tun, und wir versuchen uns konstruktiv mit Gegenpositionen zum Gendern auseinanderzusetzen.
Topics:
gender-sensitive language, non-binary inclusion, public lecture, feminist education
Hashtags:
#frauengenderbibliothek_saar #vortrag #nonbinäresgendern #geschlechtergerechtesprache
4. The Prison as a Female Workplace in the German Empire
Institution: AddF Kassel / DDF
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
A new essay by Mette Bartels explores how prisons became a focal point for the middle-class women’s movement around 1900. While middle-class women were promoted for roles in correctional institutions, working-class women were excluded based on prejudiced assumptions about their capabilities.
Original Text:
Um 1900 rückte die Strafanstalt in den Aufmerksamkeitskreis der bürgerlichen Frauenbewegung. […] Proletarierinnen indes waren von diesen Plänen ausgeschlossen. Ihnen wurde die Fähigkeit zur Resozialisierung der Inhaftierten nicht zugetraut.
Topics:
women’s labor history, classism, feminist archival research, 20th-century gender roles
Hashtags:
#ddfprojekt #frauenbewegung #feminismus #addfkassel
5. ORF Report on Resistance in Tyrol
Institution: AEP Innsbruck
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
A recent ORF feature focused on political resistance in Tyrol, including contributions by Doris Linser and AEP. The short documentary underscores the historical and ongoing role of feminist organizing in the region.
Original Text:
Toller Beitrag gestern im ORF zu Widerstand in Tirol, in dem es unter anderem auch um Doris Linser und den AEP geht.
Topics:
feminist resistance, Tyrol, Austria, historical memory
Hashtags:
#feminismusinösterreich #feminismusintirol #selbstbestimmung #meinkörpermeineregeln
Thank you! Here is the continuation of your Sharing is Caring list, using the exact same structure and tone as before:
6. Summer Break Ahead
Institution: CID | Fraen an Gender
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
The CID library is taking a summer break throughout August, but there’s still time to pick up your feminist summer reads. Whether you’re looking for a beach romance, a gripping thriller, or queer children’s books for the holidays — the shelves are stocked.
Original Text:
SUMMER BREAK AHEAD
Which means that the CID library remains closed throughout August.
But that also means that you‘ve got one more week to come by and get your summer reading material. A feminist romance for the beach, an exciting thriller for your summer at home or some children‘s books for your family holiday? We got you!
So see you next week or from September 4th.
Topics:
library closure, summer reading, feminist books, CID
Hashtags:
#cidfraenangender #cidoninstagram #genderlibrary #feministbooks
7. Queer Books for Kids and Youth
Institution: CID | Fraen an Gender & LEQGF Asbl
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
Save the date: On October 11, 2025, CID and LEQGF are hosting a discovery session on queer children’s and youth books. The workshop addresses how to choose inclusive literature, the role of libraries in promoting LGBTIQ+ topics, and how to respond to concerns.
Original Text:
SAVE THE DATE
11/10/2025
Activité découverte « Queer Books for Kids and Youth »
LGBTIQ+ topics are part of everyday life and need visibility, especially for children and teens.
How do we select books that reflect diversity? What is the role of libraries? How to respond to concerns?
The event is aimed at educators, librarians, parents, and interested professionals.
Topics:
queer literature, children’s books, libraries, inclusion, education
Hashtags:
#queerbooks #cidfraenangender #leqgf
8. Ambiguous “Assiette au Beurre”
Institution: Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
Around 1900, the illustrated journal L’Assiette au Beurre took contradictory stances: mocking feminists with harsh satire in some issues, while highlighting the legal and social injustices women faced in others. This ambivalence reflects the tensions of the early feminist “golden age.”
Original Text:
Ambigüe Assiette au Beurre. Four issues between explicit anti-feminism and pointed criticism of injustice.
While some issues ridiculed feminists as dried-up witches, others highlighted institutional inequalities with biting irony.
Close to anarchist movements, the magazine remains a vivid historical record of early 20th-century gender politics.
Topics:
feminism in satire, early 20th century, anti-feminism, press history
Hashtags:
#assietteaubeurre #bibmargueritedurand
9. MIGS Receives Mediterranean Award for Women’s Empowerment
Institution: MIGS – Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
MIGS has been honored with the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Award for Women’s Empowerment. The award recognizes years of work advocating for women’s rights and gender equality in Cyprus — especially relevant in times of institutional shortcomings regarding human rights protections.
Original Text:
Με ιδιαίτερη τιμή, η Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων απένειμε σήμερα το Βραβείο της Κοινοβουλευτικής Συνέλευσης της Μεσογείου στο MIGS.
This award highlights the value of civil society’s contribution to democracy, equality, and women’s participation in decision-making.
Topics:
women’s rights, Cyprus, gender equality, feminist advocacy, institutional recognition
Hashtags:
#MIGS #womenempowerment
10. International Self-Care Day – A Political Reminder
Institution: FrauenMediaTurm
Link: View post on Facebook
Summary:
On July 24, International Self-Care Day, FrauenMediaTurm recalls that “self-care” is far more than a wellness trend. In feminist history, self-care is an act of resistance — from the health movements of the 1970s to critiques of unpaid care work and mental health struggles. It’s about reclaiming agency over one’s body, time, and needs.
Original Text:
Selbstfürsorge ist politisch: as resistance to patriarchal expectations, medical paternalism, and the invisibilization of women’s care work.
Feminist health publications like Hexengeflüster (1975) and Frauenhandbuch Nr. 1 (1972) called for autonomy and community care.
Topics:
self-care, feminist health movements, care work, mental health, body politics
Hashtags:
#SelfCare #FrauenMediaTurm #CareArbeit
11. Käthe Paulus – Pioneer of the Skies
Institution: FrauenMediaTurm
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
In 1893, Käthe Paulus became the first German woman to ascend in a hot air balloon professionally — and later developed the modern pack parachute. A trailblazer in aviation and safety innovation, she also trained in sewing and crafted her own gear. Her legacy lives on in street names and archives alike.
Original Text:
#otd 1893: First balloon ascent by Käthe Paulus, later known for inventing the pack parachute.
She delivered over 7000 parachutes for the military during WWI and cut 20,000 meters of fabric weekly by hand.
Topics:
aviation history, women inventors, parachute design, feminist biography
Hashtags:
#KäthePaulus #Luftfahrtgeschichte #HerStory
12. Flush Festival Returns
Institution: Centro Documentazione Donne Bologna
Link: View post on Instagram
Summary:
From September 26–29, 2025, the feminist independent publishing festival Flush returns to Bologna. Talks, book presentations, and creative labs will center on feminist irony as a political tool. The festival is supported by a wide network of cultural partners.
Original Text:
📣Save The Date! 26/29 settembre 2025
Torna Flush, il festival dell’editoria indipendente femminista.
A space to explore feminist imagination, irony, and creative resistance.
Topics:
feminist publishing, literary festival, Bologna, feminist art and culture
Hashtags:
#flushfestivalbologna #transfemminismo #ironia