Talk with Barbara Grabher (AT):

Doing Gender in Events

How are gender identities and relations negotiated in the context of events, festivals and celebrations? Barbara Grabher explores this question in her book 'Doing Gender in Events: Feminist Perspectives in Critical Event Studies'. Looking at events not only as an organisational format but as a platform for the negotiation of socio-cultural values, the scholar examines in what way events are tools for meaning making. Hereby, gender and cultures of gender equality are crucial. In consideration of different event formats, Barbara Grabher discusses with Lidija Krienzer Radojevic (IG Kultur Steiermark) what we can learn from events about the politics, practices and perceptions of gender and gender equality.

Barbara Grabher is a trained Anthropologist with a specialization in Gender Studies working as postdoctoral researcher in the research group Urban HEAP in the Institute of Geography and Regional Sciences at University of Graz. She conducted her PhD research at the University of Hull, UK, and Oviedo, Spain, investigating the socio-cultural transformation processes of event-based urban regeneration in the celebrations of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 and Donostia/San Sebastián European Capital of Culture 2016.

Barbara Grabher

Talk with Tea Hvala (SLO) and Urška Lipovž (SLO):

“It is not my revolution if I can't dance”: festivals and activism

Since the mid-1990s, festivals have boomed as the most recognizable form of expression of activism. This trend is particularly evident in the case of feminist, women's, LGBTQ+, and queer activism, where festivals are used as a tool to challenge the patriarchal and heteronormative order of gender roles, expressions, and practices. Their modes of organization and production vary widely, from numerous do-it-yourself (DIY) festivals - low-cost events designed to empower the community - to established festivals showcasing professional and selective art productions. And yet they all have the same goal: to bring together activists, artists, art practices and theories, to share knowledge and practice, and simply to have fun. How this microcosm of diverse festivals works and why festivals are such a popular form to address political agendas is what we want to discuss with Tea Hvala and Urška Lipovž, activists and organizers of diverse festivals in Slovenia. With them, we want to talk about the importance of festivals for oppressed communities; their potential to address issues of gender and sexual inequality; the role of fun and humor in festivals; and their potential for stronger political action.

Tea Hvala, BA in comparative literature and cultural sociology and an MA in gender anthropology. She is a writer, editor, critic, and translator. She has (co-)authored numerous zines, essays, and teaching materials, and edited the guidebook A Path of Their Own: 25 Excursions into Women's History (2021). From 2000 to 2014, she was co-organizer of the Red Dawns festival; since 2015, she has been co-organizer of the Deuje babe (Wild Hags) festival at the alternative youth center C.M.A.K. Since 2018, she has directed the City of Women's library, publishing program, and arts education program.

Urška Lipovž is a sociologist and LGBTQ activist. Since January 2020, she has been working with the Association for the Promotion of Women in Culture - City of Women as a coordinator of promotional activities and PR representative. She is a member of the collective Lezbična četrt (Lesbian Quarter), which annually organizes the festival of the same name in Ljubljana - the eighth edition took place in 2022. Urška Lipovž is also a former member of the music collectives 300 000 V.K. and Alte Lezbiše Kunst