Feminism and Democracy – Then and Now
December 2019 marks the 125th anniversary of the landmark legislation that enabled women in SA to vote in general elections, and to stand as members of Parliament. Join the Feminist Writers Festival to commemorate this achievement and discuss what democracy and feminism mean today, with two panels of inspiring women.
Saturday 30 November, 1.30pm to 5pm
Hetzel Theatre, Institute Building, State Library South Australia
Corner North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, Adelaide.
Tickets: $20
Panel 1: Our Democratic Foremothers
This year, SA celebrates women’s right to vote and stand for parliament: 125 years ago. Clare Wright and Denise George explore how it all happened. Denise tells the story of SA’s world-leading achievement in her biography of leading Adelaide suffragist, Mary Lee, and Clare’s You Daughters of Freedom charts its spread to the rest of Australia, and Australia’s role in the international push.
Panelists: Denise George and Clare Wright, in conversation with
Dr Nikki Sullivan.
Panel 2: Who Our Foremothers Forgot
In celebrating 125 years of women’s suffrage, let’s not forget that it wasn’t exactly all-inclusive. Whose voices were missing and why? Our panel looks at how much things have improved for those of non-dominant cultures and identities and ask, how do we imagine a future that is truly feminist and equal?
Panelists: Manal Younus, Genevieve Theseira-Haese and Rosemary Kudnarto Wanganeen, in conversation with Tory Shepherd.
About the panelists
Denise George studied Professional Writing and Communication, and has a PhD in English and Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide. Her book, Mary Lee, is the result of exhaustive searches in Armagh, Monaghan, Cambridge, London and Adelaide.
Rosemary Kudnarto Wanganeen is a proud South Australian Aboriginal woman with ancestral links to Kaurna of the Adelaide Plains and Wirringu from the West Coast. She is founder of the Australian Institute for Loss and Grief and as a griefologist has reframed the deficit western construct of ‘Aboriginal disadvantage’ under the umbrella of loss and grief as the missing link to Aboriginal prosperity. Rosemary is undertaking a Master in Philosophy at Adelaide University, and – among other accolades – was a finalist in SA Health’s 2016 Mental Health Excellence Awards.
Tory Shepherd is a senior News Corp columnist and The Advertiser‘s state editor. She spent several years in the Canberra Press Gallery and contributes to The Project, The Drum, Sunrise, Today and ABC radio. She is the author of On Freedom.