Dig Where You Stand is an archival justice movement, unearthing the untold stories of ordinary people of colour who have lived, worked and set down roots in South Yorkshire. Join them for a special interactive workshop for International Women's Day.
Travelling Ayahs in Britain: un-silencing histories of ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances will be led by Dr Arunima Datta (Assistant Professor at the Department of History, University of North Texas) and Women of Colour (WOC) Azadi Collective.
The expansion of the British Empire facilitated movement across the globe for both the colonisers and the colonised. This interactive workshop will focus on a largely forgotten group in this story of movement and migration: South Asian travelling ayahs (servants and nannies), who travelled between India and Britain.
Delving into the stories of individual ayahs from a wide range of sources, Dr Datta will illuminate how to excavate histories of silenced actors of history. There will be workshop segments woven in with a talk, where Dr Datta will work with the audience to show how even silenced histories can be made audible if we ask the right questions of the archival documents. The event will finally wrap up with a sensory journey into the past through some objects and recipes the ayahs brought over to Britain.
Join in and celebrate the indomitable spirits and contributions of these extraordinary women on International Women’s Day.
This event is open to all women (trans inclusive) and non binary people.
Please note that some of the content presented by Dr Datta will contain references to themes of systemic and interpersonal abuse.
