“A New Age of Feminist Resilience: Lessons from Policy, Politics, and Pandemic” – WOLS 2025

The sixth edition of the Winter (Online) Lecture Series on Europe (WOLS 2025) will take place at the University of Luxembourg from 1 to 17 December 2025 in connection with the courses “History of European integration (1919-1993)” (MAHEC-142) and “Economic and social history of Europe after 1945: concepts, processes, actors” (MAHEC-63) from the Master in European Contemporary History, and the course “Democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe” (BCE-EU-301-04) from the Bachelor in European Cultures.

The aim is to give students on these programs, as well as the wider academic community at the University of Luxembourg, the opportunity to find out about the history and workings of the European institutions in Luxembourg from new and unconventional angles and to discuss some of the milestones in contemporary European history with people who were involved in or witnessed these events. Each session (in English, with a Q&A session in French and English) will be streamed via Webex and will include a presentation by a speaker followed by a discussion with the audience and the opportunity to ask questions.

The lectures, which are also open to the wider public, are run in conjunction with Europe Direct at the University of Luxembourg (ED-UNILU) – a competitive European public history project co-funded by the European Union (2021-2025) –, the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs at the University of Luxembourg (RSI) – a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMCE) for the study of European integration and the European Union –, which also financially supports the lectures, and several other partners including: the European University Institute (EUI) (Florence, Italy), Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the EUI Florence, Florence School of Transnational Governance (Florence, Italy), University of Padova (Italy), Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), Europa Experience Luxembourg, Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg, Entreprise Europe Network Luxembourg, European School Luxembourg I – Kirchberg.

The conference will be in English.

Chair and discussant: Dr Elena DANESCU

Guest lecturer: Dr Laura RAHM

Short biographies:

Laura RAHM is a Political Sociologist and Associate Researcher at the Centre for Population and Development in Paris. She holds a PhD in Political Demography and Sociology from Sorbonne University, where she lectured on Population, Development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She previously held a Jean Monnet Fellowship at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute and was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Research Fellow. Her main research focuses on global governance and gender studies. She has worked extensively on knowledge transfer, sustainable development, and public policies related to gender, population, and health, and has published widely in international journals. Currently, as a Policy Leader Fellow at the School for Transnational Governance (EUI, Florence), Dr RAHM is implementing a project titled “Reimagining Accountability: A Forward-Thinking Framework for Measuring Gender Equality.”

Elena DANESCU is a Research Scientist at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH). She is a member in the Contemporary European History research group and is accredited to supervise PhD candidates within the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research, teaching and publications focuses on contemporary European history, European integration, EMU, history of economic thought, oral history, the role of women in diplomacy. She is an elected member of: the University Council (2018-2023 and 2023-2028), the Board of the Fondation du Mérite européen and the Council of the Fondation Jean Monnet pour l’Europe. She’s also in charge of Europe Direct University of Luxembourg – a competitive public history project co-funded by the European Union (2021-2025) and a founding fellow of the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs. In 2020, she was awarded the Fernand Braudel Senior Fellowship at the European University Institute (EUI), and in 2024, she received a Jean Monnet Fellowship at he Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCS) for the interdisciplinary research project “The Female Face of the EU.”

Abstract:

Feminist resilience is the capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity, drawing strength from feminist principles and collective action to challenge and transform oppressive systems. This lecture explores feminist resilience as both a historical and contemporary force shaping Europe’s social and political evolution. It examines how feminist resilience has evolved through time and amid 21st century challenges—from pandemics and war to democratic backsliding and backlash against women’s rights. Beginning with women’s often-overlooked contributions to the post-1945 project of European integration, the lecture revisits the “mothers of Europe” whose work and activism helped lay the foundations for a more social and democratic Europe—yet whose legacies remain overshadowed by narratives focused on the “founding fathers.” It explores the diverse strategies and coping mechanisms mobilized by feminist actors in the face of gender backlash and funding restrictions—ranging from stealth feminism and moderating gender language to reinforcing feminist discourse. It considers what these adaptive strategies reveal about power, agency, and resilience. Drawing lessons from policy, politics, and the pandemic, the lecture reflects on what a new age of feminist resilience might mean for Europe’s future—and how future historians will interpret this pivotal moment in the struggle for gender equality.

• Register here

Attend the conference via Webex: https://unilu.webex.com/unilu/j.php?MTID=mcb240712b2680ec1dc8fd8dcf9bea3ac

Conference given in the framework of the 2025 edition of Winter (Online) Lecture Series on Europe.

_{Photo © Laura RAHM}