For a long time, the narrative of European integration history and Europeanisation has centred on the founding fathers, overlooking the significant contributions of women. In the field of European integration history and Europeanisation, the master narrative has long focused on the founding fathers, often overlooking the role of women. Elena Danescu’s research project, The Female Face of Europe, adopts an interdisciplinary approach, exploring a wide range of archives, creating multimedia sources through synergies with the HAEU, and using digital methodologies. The project aims to generate and disseminate new knowledge on the representation and influence of women in shaping European history and democracy, examining their individual trajectories, personal narratives, and transnational networks.
In this presentation, Danescu will illustrate her hypothesis with examples from original interviews conducted for the oral history research project The Role of Women in European and International Relations in Luxembourg (2022–2025), developed at the University of Luxembourg.