In the Footsteps of Zofia Moraczewska: Tracing Women’s History and Reclaiming Memory
Kamila Cybulska, Jan Kochanowski University
This paper will use as its framework recent feminist historiography, a multidisciplinary approach within Humanities and Social Sciences, which (re)discovers the role of women as historical subjects, who not only ”took part” in significant events, but also were able to transform the history. Inspired by Joan Wallach Scott’s “rewriting of history”, a radical historiographic discourse retelling invisible women’s histories, this paper aims at presenting the role of archival research in reconstructing the biography of Zofia Moraczewska (1873-1958), Poland’s first women Member of Parliament and rewriting her into national history.
Although Moraczewska was not only a founding member of women’s movement, a key figure in the Polish independence movement, as well as a pioneering leftist politician and social activist, there has been no full-length biography of her, since her death in 1958. Therefore, the reconstruction of her life could serve as a valuable resource for new and current researchers. The project started with broad archival research, which has enabled to fill in some missing pieces of Moraczewska’s story and has finally led to reclaiming her memory within Polish 19th century historiography.
Concluding, the paper will show that we can restore women’s participation which has been erased from history books, by tracing different types of archival sources: private, (e.g. manuscripts of memoirs, letters and photographs), public (e.g. newspapers) and administrative (e.g. acts and documents). Therefore, I will briefly discuss the extended research in the traditional and electronic archives and libraries in Poland, among which are:
Traditional Archives:
Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw e.g.: Jedrzej i Zofia Moraczewscy, Polish Women’s League, the Women’s Mutual Social Aid Society, the Bureau of Sejm in Warsaw, Non-Party Bloc of Cooperation with the Government
State Archive in Cracow e.g.: Archives from I World War
Central Military Archives in Warsaw e.g.: Collection of decoration and personal records
Electronic Archives:
The National Digital Archives e.g.: digitalised collections of photographs and postcards.
Traditional Libraries:
National Library in Warsaw e.g.: Zofia Moraczewska’s Archive, Women’s Civic Work Union Archive.
Ossolineum Library in Wroclaw e.g.: Women’s League of Supreme National Committee Archive.
Electronic Libraries:
National Digital Library Polona e.g.: digitalised collections of photographs, placards and posters.
Federation of Polish Digital Libraries e.g.: digitalised collections of newspapers and periodicals.
Last updated: 30 January 2017
