Les dones al carrer
Livre
Les dones al carrer est une étude statistique, urbanistique, historique et féministe des rues et des places qui portent le nom d’une femme à Valence, Espagne. Dans une première partie, l’autrice analyse les très faibles pourcentages de panneaux signalétiques attribués aux femmes en Espagne et en Europe. Ses recherches approfondies sur la nature des rues, des places et des quartiers choisis, ainsi que sur les carrières et les vies des femmes dignes d’être représentées dénoncent le sexisme au cœur de l’histoire patriarcale des sociétés occidentales contemporaines. Dans une deuxième partie, l’autrice porte un nouveau regard authentiquement féministe sur les vies des femmes honorées par la ville de Valence.
Cette œuvre est trilingue : espagnol valencien, espagnol castillan et anglais britannique.
deuxième édition (2023)
125 x 210 mm
548 pages
300 exemplaires
ISBN 978-2-9579763-1-7
Quatrième de couverture (anglais britannique)
‘Gender discrimination against women during the town planning process is a common practice. In Valencia, Spain, 89% of the streets and squares named after people are attributed to men, while less than 11% bear the name of a woman. Although history is full of exceptional women, the signs of most European cities display an incomplete and androcentric legacy. Such skewed narrative is like a rigged mirror that only shows one rigid reflection.
Addressing urbanism, history, and feminism, this book aims to shed new light on our heritage. It is composed of two parts: First, a statistical analysis of the 179 Valencian signs named after women. It informs, condemns, and cautions against contemporary toponymy trends. Then, a biographical index that highlights the contributions of the 139 women whose names adorn the streets and squares of Valencia’.
Note de l’autrice (anglais britannique)
‘‘I write for all women, girls, and ladies who inspired, inspire, and will inspire our futures, struggles, and achievements. I write for all women who were not celebrated for their accomplishments, or for all those who are still discriminated against despite their devotion to our society. I write to fight the inadequacy of an androcentric historical narrative, and to promote equal acknowledgement of all people – regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or origin. I write to show how oppressed communities have been forgotten, and how their contribution to our shared culture has been undervalued.
I assert that women first repressed by history are now expelled from our collective memory. I study the toponymy of European cities – that is, the urban planning process carried out by the city council whose purpose is the inauguration or renewal of signs. I focus expressly on the names of the streets and squares of the city of Valencia, Spain. I found indisputable evidence of gender discrimination: 89% of the signs attributed to people are named after men, while less than 11% are named after women. I know that women have participated in more than 11% of our history, and I believe that the city council must officially recognize their roles in urban planning: ‘Every time we approve new street names (...) it is essential to give them names that are in line with the times we live in,’ said the Councillor for Heritage and Cultural Resources, Glòria Tello.
Streets and squares signs allow citizens to navigate the city, but also offer free access to its legacy. She later confirms that the council wants to ‘continue bringing relevant women to light for their participation in different areas and increase the low percentage of places in the city with names of distinguished women to gradually make up for this apparent inequality and discrimination.’
I maintain, however, that this wrongful imbalance cannot be corrected overnight, and that it is unrealistic to believe that it will ever be. Nevertheless, it is my responsibility as a citizen to sound the alarm. ‘It is high time for women to have visibility in our public spaces,’ said Lucía Beamud, the Councillor for Equality and Gender Policies and LGBTI, to stress ‘the need to break the invisibility that often shrouded the feminine figure.’
It is also my duty as a feminist to highlight the qualities of the extraordinary women who left a mark on our past, because I believe research that is qualitative, informative, and engaged can make up for quantitative inequality. It's time to look at our heritage in a different way – one that is feminist, of course, but above all, one that is just’.
Pénélope Delaur
Pénélope Delaur, graphiste et directrice artistique française, quitte Paris, France, en 2020 et s’installe à Valence, Espagne. À l’heure de découvrir cette nouvelle ville, elle s’intéresse au nom des rues et fait le constat d’un manque de représentativité des femmes sur les panneaux signalétiques. Elle publie la première édition de Les dones al carrer en 2021 et monte par la même occasion sa maison d’édition, éditions pépé, qu’elle veut consacrer aux femmes et aux écrits féministes. Après avoir publié deux autres artistes, elle lance une nouvelle édition corrigée et plus aboutie de son livre en 2023. Elle écrit par ailleurs de nombreux essais, poèmes, et paroles de chanson depuis son arrivée sur le territoire espagnol.