Gaasch, Danny (Danielle)
Field of expertise: MLF-activist, founding member and later president of women’s section of the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Luxembourg (OGB-L)
Short bio: Born 1951. Grammar school teacher since 1975. Organised and headed discussion groups for girls about feminism and female sexuality over several years. Active member of MLF (Mouvement de Libération des Femmes – Luxembourg’s Women’s Liberation Movement) from 1979 onwards; board member from 1981 until the MLF ceases its activities (late 80s). Author of numerous newspaper articles and pamphlets. 1980s: founding member and later president of OGBL-Frauenabteilung (women’s section of the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Luxembourg). In the mid-80s and 90s monthly women’s programme on Radio ARA together with Gaby Fusenig. With Gaby Urbé she also collaborated on a successful initiative to enable married women to vote under their own name.

Goetzinger, Germaine
Field of expertise: History, culture, literature
Short bio: Lycée de Jeunes Filles. Studied German Literature and History. Teacher. Director of the National Literary Archives (Centre national de la littérature, Luxembourg). Research on the history of women in Luxembourg. Research on Aline Mayrisch. First president of the “Mouvement pour les intérêts de la femme”. Many publications on literature and women’s history. Co-editor of “Wenn nur wir Frauen auch das Wort ergreifen. 1880-1950 Frauen in Luxemburg – Femmes au Luxembourg” (comprehensive publication on women in Luxembourg, 1997)

Gorza, Tréis (Thérèse)
Field of expertise: MLF-activist
Short bio: Born 1953. MLF-member (Mouvement de Libération des Femmes – Luxembourg’s Women’s Liberation Movement) since 1972-73; took part in the fight for the decriminalisation of abortion. Member of ICASC (international contraception, abortion and sterilization campaign), MLF-board member. Board member of Cid-femmes (Centre d’information et de documentation des femmes – Women’s and gender documentation and information centre). Member of LIDIA (representing “Déi Lenk – La Gauche”). Still actively involved in the left party “Déi Lenk”.

Jones, Ginette
Field of expertise: employment, social security, development of (training) projects for women
Short bio: diploma: assistante sociale (1979), diploma work: «Interruption volontaire de grossesse» (voluntary interruption of pregnancy). Member of the following NGOs: Conseil National des Femmes Luxembourgeoises (former president), Cid-femmes (Centre d’information et de documentation des femmes – Women’s and gender documentation and information centre), Comité du Travail Féminin (former president), Comité Consultatif l’Egalité des Chances – Commission Européenne, Delegate at UN-Conferences on Women in Beijing (1995) and in NY (2000 and 2005). Member of several NGOs in the social sector. Coordinator of a study on individualization in social security and tax systems (2000).

Kutten, Colette
Field of expertise: MLF-activist
Short bio: teacher, MLF-activist (Mouvement de Libération des Femmes – Luxembourg’s Women’s Liberation Movement) since 1979. When public interest in the MLF declined, co-founded the follow-up-organisation Cid-femmes (Centre d’information et de documentation des femmes – Women’s and gender documentation and information centre) together with other women (1992). Former president of Cid-femmes, now still member of the board. Member and currently chairwoman of the umbrella organisation CNFL (Conseil Nationale des Femmes du Luxembourg). Founding member of the Green Party in Luxembourg (1983). Went into politics because of personal conviction (and motivation) that women must become actively involved in politics in order to bring about change in society. Has been a candidate in all national and local elections since the party’s foundation. Currently holding a seat in the municipal council of Dudelange.

Lippert, Patricia
Field of expertise: art
Short bio: Born 1956, Luxembourg. Studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung (College of Design) in Offenbach am Main (Germany). Diploma thesis: “Gibt es eine weibliche Ästhetik? Vorschläge zu einer veränderten Kunstpraxis der Frauen” (“Women’s aesthetics – does this exist? Suggestions for changes in women’s art practices”). Working as independent/free-lance artist since 1982.

Lorang, Antoinette
Field of expertise: women and culture, women and history
Short bio: Born 1956. Art historian. Research into women’s history; published books, brochures and academic essays. Co-editor of “Wenn nur wir Frauen auch das Wort ergreifen. 1880-1950 Frauen in Luxemburg – Femmes au Luxembourg” (comprehensive publication on women in Luxembourg, 1997).

Lutgen, Berthe
Field of expertise: MLF activist (Mouvement de Libération des Femmes – Luxembourg’s Women’s Liberation Movement. The MLF campaigned on matrimonial law, sexual education, abortion and women at work.) Representation of women in art.
Short bio: Born 1935. Studied art in Munich, Düsseldorf and Bonn. Founded MLF (1971/2). Art teacher in Luxembourg, exhibitions in Luxembourg and Paris (focus: the representation of women as seen in their social surroundings and the images pertaining to them as in art since 1968).

Nieles, Danièle
Field of expertise: women and labour market, women in trade union
Short bio: Central secretary of OGBL (Independent Trade Union Confederation of Luxembourg – Onofhängege Gewerkschaftsbond Lëtzebuerg; 1987 – Women’s secretary / 1987 – 1993 Youth secretary / 1989 – 1993 Secretary of Print and Media Union / 1989 – 1995 Secretary of Commerce Union / 1999 General Secretary of Teacher’s Union / 2002 Executive Board Member). Member of the Board of CSL (Chambre des Salariés Luxembourg – Workers’ Chamber of Luxembourg / President of CSL Equality Committee). Member of Economic and Social Council (Comité Economique et Social – CES). Member of Positive Actions Committee (Comité des Actions positives auprès du Ministère de l’Egalité des Chances. Member of Women’s Work Committee (Comité du Travail Féminin auprès du Ministère de l’Egalité des Chances; President from 1997 to 1999). Member of Great Council of National Education (Conseil Supérieur de l’Education Nationale auprès du Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle). Member of Vocational training Committee (Comité à la formation professionnelle auprès du Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle). Member of ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation / Women Committee). Member of CEDEFOP European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Centre Européen pour le Développement de la Formation Professionnelle / Governing Board): Member of EI Pan-European Committee (Education International – European Trade Union Committee For Education).

Roster, Danielle
Field of expertise: musicology, research into women in music
Short bio: Born 1964. Studied musicology and history of art. Cultural Projects Manager at Cid-femmes (centre d’information et de documentation des femmes – Women’s and gender documentation and information centre), responsible for its music and (female) composer archives. Author of books and articles (emphasis on research into women in music).

Schwinnen, Joëlle
Field of expertise: art, culture, politics
Short bio: Born 1964. Has been working for Cid-femmes (Centre d’information et de documentation des femmes – Women’s and gender documentation and information centre) since 2000.

Wagener, Renée
Field of expertise: Politics, Women’s Movement, Electoral Law
Short bio: Born 1962. M.A. in Social Sciences. Researcher, coach, consultant, journalist. Academic collaborator at the University of Luxembourg (2007-2009). Publications in the fields of (women’s) history and (feminist) politics. Co-editor of “Wenn nur wir Frauen auch das Wort ergreifen. 1880-1950 Frauen in Luxemburg – Femmes au Luxembourg” (comprehensive publication on women in Luxembourg, 1997). Coodinator of the publication “Not the girl you’re looking for – Melusina revisited” (topic: Women as object and subject in the cultural fields of Luxembourg, 2010).

Selection

Report on the selection process by the Luxembourgish FRAGEN team

In autumn 2009 we contacted about 25 experts including MLF-founding members and activists (MLF = Mouvement de Libération des Femmes – the Women’s Liberation Movement in Luxembourg), women from counselling and anti-violence groups, trade unions and women with a background in literature, music, art and education.

Some of them agreed to get involved in the Fragen project. But at first we only received a few text suggestions. Therefore we decided to organise a text discussion meeting with our experts. For this occasion we prepared an inspirational pre-selection of texts from our in-house MLF archive, which contains several hundreds of original documents from Luxembourg’s women’s liberation movement. We grouped the approximately 30 texts according to themes (abortion, reform of the matrimonial law, work, violence, etc.) and provided several texts per theme. Some experts brought their own text suggestions to the meeting and/or handed in texts afterwards. Nine women came to our meeting, three experts could not attend, but visited us at different times to suggest and discuss texts. We asked every one of them to fill in the selection and ranking forms. Some did that more thoroughly than others. Similarly some women became more involved in the discussions than others and consequently a kind of “inner circle” of experts evolved (4-6 women). These experts also took into consideration all texts submitted after our meeting. By comparing all twelve selection and ranking forms eight texts clearly emerged as having received the majority of the votes.

For the remaining two positions on the short list we decided to include the text “Petition – Namensrecht” (Petition in support of married women using their own name) because the name campaign was suggested by three experts independently. In 10th place we listed the text “Rechent mat de Fraen! Neen zur Austeritéit!” (Flyer for the first large common demonstration against the discrimination of women in the workplace and against violence towards women on 5 March 1983) because of the text’s historical relevance: it marks the first time of bringing together various women’s organisations in Luxembourg to formulate common feminist aims and demonstrate for them (500 people came to the demonstration). This text also addresses multiple inequalities: It contains demands for equal rights for foreign workers, in particular for the women.

Some additional notes on the selection process in Luxembourg:

Experts:
Gender studies is a relatively young subject at the University of Luxembourg, which is itself also just a few years old. Some of our experts have a classical gender research background. Other experts have held important positions in women’s organisations, and again others have been active members of the women’s liberation movement.

Texts:
Most of the available texts in Luxembourg emerge directly from activities of the women’s liberation movement, demanding necessary changes, presenting achievements or documenting self-reflection and self-representation within the movement. The texts show that the authors had read feminist theory, but the texts themselves are not classical academic writing.

In the discussion with the experts it became clear that the result of selecting ten texts for the shortlist could only be a beginning for further discussion, because it is very difficult to determine a hierarchy of importance across so many different themes within the women’s liberation movement.