Call for contributions to Quinepedia

Professors Sarah Pedersen and Peter Reid of Robert Gordon University are currently working on the construction of Quinepedia – a digital biographical dictionary focused on women in North-East Scotland. 

The project has been stimulated by recent discussions in the Aberdeen Press & Journal around the lack of memorials to any women other than Queen Victoria in Aberdeen [Lack of statues of women in Aberdeen misrepresents historic heroines (pressandjournal.co.uk)]. While there is a mural by ceramicist-activist Carrie Reichardt in the city centre celebrating local women, there are few other indications of the contributions of women to the region. The project therefore aims to contribute to and expand debate around this question, allowing public engagement with wider questions about civic commemoration and the limited amount of commemoration of women.

Quinepedia has been awarded a small amount of funding by the AHRC’s Being Human Festival and the RGU Foundation to start the construction of Quinepedia, and the initial work on the project can be found here: QUINEPEDIA – Home

The funding will also allow the team to put on a series of events in mid-November focusing on Quinepedia and aimed at raising awareness of women’s contributions to the culture and history of North-East Scotland. On the morning of Saturday 12 November 2022, story-teller Jackie Ross will tell the tales of some of North-East Scotland’s ‘weel-kent quines’ at Aberdeen Central Library. This session is aimed at 5-12 year olds. In the afternoon, award-winning playwright Alan Bissett will lead a table reading of his new play A Monstrous Regiment of Women, which focuses on the story of Aberdeen’s own suffragette Caroline Phillips. We are particularly keen to encourage local schools to highlight this event to pupils studying Higher History.

On Saturday 19 November, a public debate in the form of a hustings, will feature advocates for some of the leading candidates for Quinepedia, and aims to raise awareness of the dictionary and of a wider campaign for greater female representation in civic memorialisation across the region. This debate will take place in Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen, and will also feature a ‘bring your own heritage’ event, encouraging people to share documents, letters, newspaper clippings, photographs and other memorabilia.

We are currently calling for contributions to Quinepedia. We are looking for entries of 800-1000 words in length aimed at an audience of the general public. Quinepedia aims to cover historical and contemporary women, from the Jacobite Colonel Anne Mackintosh and memoirist Christian Watt to Annie Lennox and Evelyn Glennie. Our deadline is end October, for the launch of Quinepedia in mid-November. If you are interested in contributing an entry, please email s.pedersen@rgu.ac.uk

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