Chris Bose
The Fifth International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women met at the University of Costa Rica from February 22 to 26, 1993, with over 1,800 women from about seventy nations attending. IROW is pleased to report that five of its associates took part in this important Congress. June Hahner (History) presented a paper on "Education and Ideology: Pioneering Professional Women in Nineteenth-Century Brazil," while Edna Acosta-Belen (Latin American and Caribbean Studies), Luz del Alba Acevedo (Women's Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies), Christine Bose (Sociology) and Lillian Williams (Women's Studies) collectively presented a panel of four papers on "Integrating Third World Women into Women's Studies: The U.S. Experience." In addition, IROW joined the University at Albany's Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) in sponsoring a reception for our Latin American and U.S. women's studies colleagues that proved to be delightful. Complete with a marimba band and excellent local food, this was the only reception given by a U.S. institution.
The conference included two types of sessions. First were those with participants' papers, organized into a wide variety of topical areas such as education, economics, history, social movements, development, communication, maternity, age, violence and sexuality. Second were several series of keynote plenaries, including four sessions on "Women's Studies Around the Globe," two on "Migration" and "Indigenous Women," and two on the "Identity and Livelihoods of Black Women." The latter sessions were generally considered the most dynamic, diverse and interesting of the Congress. In addition to these academic panels, the conference featured lively musical and cultural events, including the feminist band Claroscuro.
These "Women's Worlds" conferences are held every three years, with the Sixth Congress scheduled for 1996 at the University of Adelaide in Australia. If the Costa Rica conference is a good predictor of future events, we suggest you plan to attend.