Reflections on women’s labour in museum narratives: the case of silk workers

Women became victims of poverty due to the Industrial Revolution and the consequent upheavals in economic life worldwide. This research aims to highlight women's work in the museum through the processes of sericulture and silk making, both domestic and industrial. The main case study was the Silk Museum of PIOP, in Soufli, in northern Greece, as a predominantly silk-producing center. The silk industry, in which the female contribution was decisive, shaped the character and contributed significantly to the development of the small town from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.1,2 In addition to the bibliography, the research was based on fieldwork at the Silk Museum and Soufli and interviews with female silk ex-workers and exhibition contributors. Field research was also conducted in museums with similar themes in Hungary and Greece, while materials from Sweden and France were studied to compare various exhibition practices to highlight the different aspects with which the work of women workers is presented in the contemporary museum as a conscious curatorial practice. The study concluded that the representation of women's labor in museums reflects broader social and cultural narratives, emphasizing their undervalued yet pivotal role in industrial and domestic sericulture and promoting a more inclusive understanding of industrial heritage.