The conference entitled „ Herstory – Women’s memory of the Past” that took place on April 5th, 2008 was an integral part of a project run by the PSF Women’s Centre Foundation under the same title since November 1st, 2007. The aim of the project was to preserve memory of World War II deportations of Polish and German civilians for the present and future younger generations in both countries. The specific aim of the project was to preserve the memory of women victims of deportations. The pre-conference activities of the project included five screenings of directly told stories of Polish and German women who were deported as children with their families as a result of WW II historical events. The material gathered In Poland and Germany was later edited and printed as a set of 5 DVD films with Polish and German captions. In itself it is a precious input into the so-called oral history archives and a lasting source of knowledge and information for future generations.

"The Polish-German conference organized in Warsaw was a summing-up event and a closing activity of the project. The conference was open to all interested in the subject but specifically targeted at younger generations from both countries. Preparations to the conference started in February 2008, while the film material was produced. The concept of the conference and its final program was prepared by a team of experts working within the project. The team decided that the conference should be devided into two sessions: opening session including description of the project and its aims plus panel session 1: including lectures on the historical background of WW II deportations of Polish and German civilians and the situation of academic studies on women’s history in Poland followed by presentations of two fragments of films: a Polish TV reportage on the Zamosc uprising and fragments of women’s stories filmed within the project. The second session included Panel 2 devoted to direct discussion with women witnesses whose stories were presented, four of whom took part in the Warsaw conference. The conference participants were each to get a copy of the film. The conference was to be accompanied by a photo exhibition documenting deportations of WW II.

The conference was promoted at the project website as well as via Internet in Germany and Poland at youth and women’s websites (Feminoteka and NEWW, Gender Studies in Lodz) and discussion lists (Koalicja Kobiet, Ruch kobiecy, Porozumienie kobiet, NGO.pl). Radio TOK FM invited Jolanta Plakwicz to talk on the project and the Warsaw conference. Conference posters were distributed at Warsaw University departments, Collegium Civitas, High School of Social Psychology, the1st Social College in Warsaw. Information was sent to more than 20 academic circles including European University Viadrina, to representatives of German minority in Poland, and to the media. In Germany information was sent to Polish-German Youth Cooperation Fund, Foundation Memory – Responsibility - Future, Freie Universitat Berlin and Berlin Senat.

The conference was attended by 63 participants, representatives of Polish and |German youth, NGOs, academic circles, school teachers and women’s organisations. The conference was opened by Jolanta Plakwicz and moderatem by Beata Fiszer, Board Members of the PSF Women’s Centre Foundation. Session 1 included lectures by Prof. Elzbieta Mazur (historian, Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences), who spoke on women’s perspective in historical research, and Dr Wanda Jarzabek (historian, Institute of Political Studies of Polish Academy of Sciences), who spoke on history of World War II deportations. It was accompanied by presentations of fragments of films on „Zamosc Uprising” produced by Polish TV and „Herstory-Women’s Memory of the Past” produced by The PSF Women’s Centre Foundation within the project. Session 2 of the conference was a direct meeting with four out of five women witnesses: Maria Chwalibóg, Ewa Zegocka, Ruth Gröne i Annema von Klitzing. Barbara Pustkowska – Michalak was unable to attend because of health problems. Session 2 was devoted to direct dialogue with Polish and German women witnesses of deportations during World War II. Such structure enabled face-to-face discussion without nationalistic prejudice not only among conference participants but also – which was unique, taking into consideration contemporary Polish-German debates on World War II deportations - among direct witnesses of these events from both countries. The conference was accompanied by a photo exhibition on (mainly German) deportations during WW II.

The organizers received positive feedback on the conference both from witnesses as well as participants. The participants underlined innovative and multicultural character of the project and stressed the fact that they learned about Polish-German history a lot easier this way. Above all, as it was underlined, they learned that as concerns women the Polish-German dialogue on common history is possibile.

There were five volunteers involved in conference preparations. Their task was to distribute conference posters and build up photo-exhibition at the conference venue. Later volunteers helped at reception desk, took notes and photos and helpem at technical tasks.

The project's aim is to preserve for future generations the memory of tragic events of Polish-German comon history as viewed by civilian women deported from their dwellings during and after World War II. With this project we want to commemorate these women and include women's perspective to our common history.

The Polish-German conference organized in Warsaw was a summing-up event and a closing activity of the project. The conference was open to all interested in the subject but specifically targeted at younger generations from both countries. Preparations to the conference started in February 2008, while the film material was produced. The concept of the conference and its final program was prepared by a team of experts working within the project. The team decided that the conference should be devided into two sessions: opening session including description of the project and its aims plus panel session 1: including lectures on the historical background of WW II deportations of Polish and German civilians and the situation of academic studies on women’s history in Poland followed by presentations of two fragments of films: a Polish TV reportage on the Zamosc uprising and fragments of women’s stories filmed within the project. The second session included Panel 2 devoted to direct discussion with women witnesses whose stories were presented, four of whom took part in the Warsaw conference. The conference participants were each to get a copy of the film. The conference was to be accompanied by a photo exhibition documenting deportations of WW II.

The present Polish-German discussion is carried mainly by authorities, politicians, historians and the media. Our project is meant to include citizens from both countries in the debate. The project's activities include filmed documentation of interviews with women witnesses of deportations during WW II in Poland and Germany, published on a CD, a photo exhibition and a summing-up Polish-German intergenerational conference. With it, we hope to widen the perspective of Polish-German history, include women's experience in it and transfer the knowledge of this difficult period to younger generations in both countries. We also hope that our project will contribute to further development of research on women's perspective in history in Poland and Germany.

The project is implemented in cooperation with our German partner(in) - Fraueninitiative Berlin - Warschau e.V.

The PSF Women's Centre Foundation and Fraueninitiative Berlin – Warschau e.V. invite you to a Polish-German conference organised at Warsaw University Library (Dobra 56/66). The conference will be a unique oportunity for Polish  and German women, witnesses of deportations during WWII, to meet with Polish and German youth and people interested in  the question of deportations in the context of Polish and German relations. The conference's aim is to enable open, cross-border, intergenerational debate concerning our common past.

The conference (in Polish and German with simultaneous translation) will be accompanied by a photo exhibition documenting deportations.

The conference is a culminating point of a six month project within which documentation was gathered, real life stories of five women from Poland and Germany were video-taped and published on CD.

Draft conference agenda:

10:00-10:30	registration
10:30-10:45	opening and short presentation of the project
10:45-12:00	short introduction to historical background, illustrated by fragments of documentary reportage entitled "The Zamosc Uprising" - Prof. Elzbieta Mazur and Dr Wanda Jarzabek
12:00-13:00	brunch
13:00-13:10	introduction to panel discussion with women witnesses of German and Polish deportations
13:10-14:00	presentation of fragments of filmed interviews
14:00-15:30	open panel with: Maria Chwalibóg, Barbara Pustkowska - Michalak, Ewa Zegocka, Annema von Klitzing i Ruth Gröne, followed by a discussion
15:30-16:00	summing-up

Lecturers:

prof. Elzbieta Mazur - historian, Institute of Archeology and Ethnology - Polish Academy of Sciences
dr Wanda Jarzabek - historian, Institute of Political Studies - Polish Academy of Sciences

Panelists:

Maria Chwalibóg - escaped from her family estate near Zelechów, deported from Warsaw after 1944 Uprising to Pruszków, lives back in Warsaw
Barbara Pustkowska - Michalak - deported from Posen (Poznan) to Nowy Sacz, lives back in Poznan
Ewa Zegocka - deported from Leczyca to Limanowa, then from Warsaw via Pruszków to Schwarzenberg, lives back in Leczyca
Annema von Klitzing - born in Charlottenhof (Sosny), escaped to Germany, lives in Berlin
Ruth Gröne - born in Hermsdorf (Sobieszów), Silesia, deported from Hirschberg (Jelenia Góra), lives in Berlin

Registration form: here.