Forgotten Women: An air that was given to them

Many women have been forgotten by history. Over hundreds of years, leaders, scientists, artists, politics have been left out of the accounts. Which women were not allowed to (due) knowledge? Does this continue to happen today?

Many women have been forgotten by history. Their lives are not counted, their voices seem to be lost in the ether. They stayed on the sidelines. Over hundreds of years, leaders, scientists, artists, politicians, activists have been left out of historical accounts. Does this continue to happen today? When does this void end? Which women have not been allowed public (re) knowledge? Who are they and what have they done?

Margarida Tengarrinha, a communist activist who lived 20 years in hiding under various false identities, during the Portuguese dictatorship, is only found on Wikipedia on her husband's page. Maria Antónia Palla, renowned journalist, known for her work on abortion in the 1970s, until recently appeared only mentioned in the famous online collaborative encyclopedia on the pages of her husband and son (her page was created, however). There is also the case of Zillah Branco, a woman who survived three coups d'état - Brazil, Chile, and Portugal -, worked with Salvador Allende in agrarian reform and joined one of the post-dictatorial governments in Portugal and who, says brought from Chile to Portugal the cry “Soldier, friend, the people are with you”. There is only a brief mention on the husband's page.

Many women have been forgotten by history. Their stories are not told, their voices are unlikely to be heard. Many were left out by the subordinate condition attributed to them. Is this still happening today? Wikipedia appears to reflect a widespread and documented tendency to describe women through their relationships with men. And this void in the great free online encyclopedia is not only extremely difficult to fill, but it also makes it more difficult for journalists, researchers, curators, and citizens in general - as well as the artificial intelligence models that power the information present on Wikipedia - have knowledge of the work of these women.

When does this void end? Why does it exist, anyway? Which women have not been allowed public (re) knowledge? Who are they and what have they done?

We will listen to women who, unlike their male counterparts, have not seen their work and history recognized. Tell the life of the ignored in your time. Realize where, after all, these skewed lenses with which we see the world - and, in particular, what the role of Wikipedia in deepening these invisibilities. We want to understand how the largest free online encyclopedia works and how it deals with a recognized gender bias; deepen the reasons why this happens and what impacts it has on the way the stories of women who speak Portuguese are told.

About the author

Fumaça is an independent, progressive and dissident journalism project.

We are independent, because our editorial choices depend on the editorial interest. Our editorial status is our guideline and the certainty that it is the editorial staff that decides the publication's destinations.

We are progressive, because we believe in social progress, in the universality of Human Rights, effectively ensured, as well as in the idea that all people must have their basic needs guaranteed.

We are dissidents, because we understand that there are other media narratives to present, that there is more world, other stories and perspectives to show, different voices to hear. We are interested in talking to those who have less space.

We are not the microphone feet of the powers that be installed and we assume ourselves as a counter-power means. We want to decode the formal and informal processes and structures of representative democracy in which we live: questioning the decisions made, making those who make them accountable and scrutinizing the people who command and act in the party-political system.

Budget and due dates

The total budget requested will allow two journalists to work for two months, focused solely on this investigation. After the entire piece is written and recorded, we will need to involve a sound engineer in the work, who will edit and mix the audio.

Journalist, two months: € 3600
Journalist, two months: € 3600
Sound engineer, one month: 1800 €
Total: € 9000

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