Objectified, constrained, limited and constantly regulated, the female body is often seen as less valid, improper and unsuitable. Such beliefs and attitudes are manifested in the multiple ways women are discriminated against, violated and denied access to their rights as equal members of our societies.
Often expected to remain isolated within a reproductive role, the female body is rendered less worthy whenever one chooses not to fulfill such expectations. Patriarchal standards have long produced unwritten rules on what a female body must look like, how it must perform, and its limits and restrictions. Those who do not fit within these constructions are rejected, expelled, dismissed.
As a fierce and vocal activist, Ana Vasileva is steadfast in her belief that feminist thought and action are intertwined and that feminist theory and practice go hand in hand. She insists that individual efforts must always be grounded in the principles of female solidarity and intersectionality.
A postgraduate student of gender studies at the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in Skopje, Ana is actively engaged in raising awareness of gender issues and promoting policies of solidarity and collective responsibility. She is also part of the PeachPreach duo that organizes events promoting women’s discourse and challenging patriarchal oppression through public storytelling — continuing the tradition of women’s oral history, which she compares to the canonized written history of men.
In the public discussion section of this Volume UP edition, Ana will talk about the undividable connection between the body and human rights, and the importance of voice in how such a connection is both built and maintained.
In the masterclass section, Ana will share more on her work and activism that revolve largely around the areas of violence against women and rape culture and the ways they affect and shape women and society. She will focus on how pop culture and the media normalize and minimize violence against women in everyday public discourse.
About the speaker:
Ana Vasileva was born in Bitola, North Macedonia, in 1982 and lives and works in Skopje. She is a feminist, women’s rights activist and a postgraduate gender studies student at the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in Skopje. She works as an interpreter and translator. Vasileva is actively engaged in raising awareness about gender issues and promoting policies of solidarity and collective responsibility. She is also part of the PeachPreach duo that organizes events promoting women’s discourse and challenging patriarchal oppression through public storytelling; thus continuing the tradition of women’s oral history as opposed to the canonized male written history. Vasileva has conducted multiple actions and guerilla campaigns promoting feminist ideals throughout North Macedonia.
