ASPEKT
ASPEKT is a feminist educational and publishing organisation. It was founded in 1993 (the official registration July 26, 1993) as an interest association of women, who agreed it was time to take the discourse on equality and democracy seriously and apply it to the lived realities of the people of feminine gender in Slovakia. Already second decade Aspekt does so by means of its (subversive and pioneering) publishing and educational activities.
ASPEKT Anthology / ASPEKT Anthologie
is the collection of texts originally published in the feminist cultural journal ASPEKT or in other different journals in Slovak or Czech that were translated to English and German for the purpose of this web-anthology.
Feminist cultural journal ASPEKT
In the period 1993-2004 there were 21 issues of the feminist cultural journal ASPEKT published (in A4 format, ranging from 92 to 334 pages). The journal opened new topics in the Slovak and Czech discourses; the translations of the most substantial texts of feminist movement, women's and gender studies were published; journal's editors also initiated writing of many original studies, which were applying the feminist view. Both metaphorically and literally it built the vocabulary of emerging feminists and feminisms. The anthological character of the journal preserves it as an always-actual studying material.
Many of the articles you can access electronically via the Central and Eastern European Online Library at www.ceeol.org.
In 2004 ASPEKT changed its paper format and its successor is published as a webzine ASPEKTin.
1/1993 Beauty Myth
1/1994 Motherhood
2/1994 Feminisms
3/1994 Witches
1/1995 Women's Writing
2-3/1995 Women and Power
1/1996 Lesbian Existence
2/1996 Fears and Barriers
1/1997 Human Rights
2/1997 Female Body I
3/1997 Female Body II
1/1998 Women's Thinking
2/1998 Women's Spaces
3/1998 Violence Against Women I
1/1999 Violence Against Women II
2/1999 Personal is Political
1/2000 One Is Not Born a Woman
2/2000-1/2001 Patriarchy
2/2001 Dramas
1/2002 Flesh Became Word
1/2003-2004 Herstories of Women
Webzine ASPEKTin
Publishing of the webzine proves the idea that Internet is a vital medium for opinions that don't follow the mainstream. It publishes dramas, fiction, outraged commentaries, interesting news; it draws attention to good authors and artists and bad advertisements, too. It welcomes both regular and new readers and contributors. Its sections proliferate and develop according to the recent happenings.
Book edition
From 1996 Aspekt has published more than 100 fiction and non-fiction books. Besides presenting Slovak women fiction authors (e.g. Jaroslava Blažková, Etela Farkašová, Jana Juráňová, Uršuľa Kovalyk, Irena Brežná) and numerous translations (Nicole Müller, Elfriede Jelinek, Margaret Atwood, Olga Tokarczuk, Virginia Woolf), other focal points include feminist theory (Carole Pateman, Judith Butler, Elisabeth Badinter, Karen Horney), educational books for prevention from child sexual abuse and violence against women, and feminist or gender-sensitive "Aspects" of recent political issues (political participation, violence against women, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation etc.) and others. One of the most popular publications are funny and informative everyday companions for women and girls - diaries, and the books focusing on gender sensitive education and gender stereotypes.
Library
A unique library of its kind in Slovakia; it specializes in feminist and gender studies literature in various languages. The library is regularly open for the broad public and besides providing access to its funds it also offers professional consultancy. The on-line catalogue and web information service help readers to find the information sources they need.
Our projects include
The feminist webzine ASPEKTin is the online successor of the first feminist cultural magazine Aspekt. ASPEKTin aims to strengthen feminist discourse in the arts as well as other areas of society and politics. Our aim is to raise issues that are particularly relevant to gender relations and women's lives; to look at diverse topics from a feminist perspective; and to apply gender as an analytical category that helps to reveal the power structures of society.
In this way, we seek to challenge the growing neoconservative discourse and its frameworks, while presenting an alternative to an increasingly problematic pop-feminism.
Raising Civil Society Awareness of Current Threats to Women's Human Rights: From Extremism to the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The project maps the situation of human rights violations against women, particularly in relation to (1) the long-standing tendencies to restrict women's human rights, which are part of the growing extremism in society, and (2) the further deterioration of the situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It actively contributes to raising awareness among key actors in civil society (through texts, events, research, educational materials) on the need to integrate human rights into activities to promote a democratic society (target groups: NGOs, academia, media, schools), as women's human rights are also often overlooked in these activities and in the public debate.
Specifically, we seek critical gender reflection on the pandemic crisis, linking the situation of women during the pandemic to persistent gender, as well as racial, class, and other inequalities. We give voice to women who want to share their experiences from the pandemic and talk about their care work, paid and unpaid work, emotional labour, precariousness, agency, survival strategies... We reflect on the pandemic not only as a public health crisis, but also as a crisis related to the low valuation of care, which is manifested in the neglect of health, education or culture, or in the increase in the amount of unpaid work (domestic work, care work, emotional labour) for women.
* pinkandblueworld.sk: Gender Sensitive Pedagogy The project ruzovyamodrysvet.sk (pinkandblueworld.sk) is aimed at increasing gender sensitivity and gender awareness of teachers and elementary and secondary school pupils.
* EQ-Train: Equality Training for Trainers International project about gender-sensitive vocational education with focus on Equal Pay.
Read the 1st EQ-Train Newsletter
Read the 2nd EQ-Train Newsletter
Read the 3rd EQ-Train Newsletter
Read the 4th EQ-Train Newsletter
* Gender Issues 2008: Gender Sensitive Education in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine (report, pdf)
* Equal Pay for Equal Work? Aspects of the Gender Pay Gap (summary, pdf)
* Gender Issues 2007: Violence against Women, Gender Pay Gap, Access to Childcare Facilities, Implementing Gender Policies in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine (report, pdf)
* Women's Histories
* Gender Information Packages
* What Has the EU to Offer Women?
* Gender Audit of the EU Pre-Accession Funds 1999-2004 (report, pdf)
* Aspekt is 10
Contact
ASPEKT
Mýtna 38
811 07 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
coordination
+421 2 5249 1639
+421 918 479 677
aspekt@aspekt.sk
administration
administrativa@aspekt.sk
library
kniznica@aspekt.sk
Aspekt takes part in
* civic association Pro Choice Slovakia
* Initiative Fifth Woman against violence against women
* regional program of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung "Women's Politics and Empowerment in Central Europe"
* Slovak Women's Lobby
* Developmental Partnership "ruzovyamodrysvet.sk" within the framework of the Community Initiative EQUAL project
* another changing coalitions and antinomies
Thanks
Aspekt is grateful to Heinrich Böll Stiftung (originally Frauen Anstiftung) for its existence. Pro Helvetia East-West, Open Society Foundation - Nadácia otvorenej spoločnosti, Open Society Institute, Czech-Slovak Women's Fund and European Social Fund have supported Aspekt in particular; among other donators there are Fund for Central and East European Book Projects, Goethe Institute, Jozef Felix Fund, British Council, The Ministry of Culture of SR etc.
