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| Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, launches her new book entitled 'Labouring with the challenges of female identity: Insights into the Minoan society' |
23-12-2010 1:20 pm On 14 December 2010, Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, launched her new book entitled Labouring with the challenges of female identity: Insights into the Minoan society at a ceremony that took place at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. The event coincided with the Organization’s celebration of its 65 Anniversary and was attended by the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Mr Ara Abramian, Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva, Mr Pierre Bergé, Mrs Claudia Cardinale, Mrs Vigdis Finbogadottir, Mrs Bahia Hariri Mr Vitaly Ignatenko, Mr Jean-Michel Jarre, , Mr Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, Professor Jean Malaurie, Mrs Ute-Henriette Ohoven, Lady Owen Jones, Mrs Kim Phuc Phan Thi, HE Sheikh Ghassan I Shaker and Mrs Marianna Vardinoyanis, UNESCO Special Envoy for Literacy on Development HRH Princess Laurentien and UNESCO Artists for Peace Mrs Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Mr Amri Aminov, Mr Chiko Bouchikhi, Mr Alain Husson-Dumoutier, Countess Setsuko Klossowska, Mr Serguei Markarov and Mrs Maria de Medeiros.
The book focuses on the position and the roles of women in society from the earliest prehistory until the end of the Bronze Age on the island of Crete. The study aims, in the first place, to identify through archaeological remains all the various roles that women would have held in Minoan society from the Neolithic period until the final destruction of palatial civilisation, placing particular emphasis on the artistic illustrations of women. This study brings together new perspectives by examining in depth the way in which women were empowered as social agents in Minoan society and how their roles, social positions and perspectives were expressed, projected and negotiated through Bronze Age art. At the same time the book seeks to elucidate the female roles that may create affinities between the past and the present.
In her speech, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova, characterised the book as ‘a marriage of passions -- a passion for art history and a passion for understanding the role of women.’ She went on to acknowledge that the echoes with the present are very strong and how the very same processes of female identification and empowerment described in the book, constitute the basis of the new humanism that UNESCO is committed to placing at the heart of development and peace. In closing, Mrs Bokova highlighted the fact that this book is a continuation of Mrs Vardinoyannis’ long-standing dedication to the cause of women and children, as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and through the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation.
Photo (© UNESCO/ Danica Bijeljac): The Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova and Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador at the book launch.
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