The Forgotten Women
First-generation female immigrant workers in the Ruhr region
Woman on staircase / Photo: Rose Benninghoff
When you think about the first generation of immigrants to Germany, the images that come to mind are invariably those of men - such as the lonely guest worker who saves his money so his family can join him later. An exhibition at the Museum Voswinckelshof in Dinslaken now gives voice to the women.
What role did the many women play who have been coming to the Ruhr since the mid-20th century to support their families back home? The exhibition at the Museum Voswinckelshof September 16 to October 8, 2010, shows as vivid examples the life histories of women workers of the first generation and thereby tries to answer questions such as: Where did they come from? What did they experience in a strange country? What did their everyday working life look like – and their life today?
The women who were interviewed for the exhibition had come to a strange country, intending to work there temporarily. They decided to stay and continue to live in the area. Do they feel at home in the Ruhr metropolis? What remains with them of the place they had come from? How has living in Germany changed them?
Texts and photographs from the old country, pictures taken after their arrival in Germany and portraits from the present vividly illustrate the contributions that women from a diverse array of countries have made to the history of immigrants in Germany.
September 16 - October 10, 2010
Tu - Sun 14:00 - 18:00
Opening: September 16, 2010, 19:00
Museum Voswinckelshof, Dinslaken
The exhibition will tour other Ruhr cities afterwards.
Partners: city of Dinslaken – Office of Equality, Forum Lohberg e.V., Integration Representative of the city of Witten, EG DU Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, Forum Geschichtskultur an Ruhr und Emscher, the archives of participating cities, cooperation with female union members, Stiftung Zentrum für Türkeistudien