Voicing Female Experience in Vilne: The Case of Dveira Dines

This article uses microhistory methods to explore the impact of the changes in the first half of the twentieth century and how they are represented in the egodocuments written by women. The research is based on previously unknown and unpublished autobiographies and diaries of seamstress Dveira Dines. Her egodocuments are considered from four perspectives: what were the challenges of being a woman; what can be learned about childrearing and healthcare; whether women’s egodocuments can be a chronicle of their generation; and what can they tell us about life in Vilne (Vilnius) and its people. The analysis of these documents shows that egodocuments written by women can help significantly expand our knowledge about everyday life and, in this case, can also show the historical events of that period from the perspective of an ordinary citizen or participant rather than an organizer or ideologue.