COWAP Newsletter May 2014

COWAP NEWSLETTER 

May, 2014

COWAP Committee

Overall Chair: Frances Thomson-Salo
Co-Chair for Europe: Ingrid Moeslein-Teising
Co-Chair for Latin America: Cândida Sé Holovko
Co-Chair for North American: Cecile Bassen
European members: Laura Tognoli Pasquali and Ester Palerm Mari
Latin America members: Silvia Jadur and Ruth Axelrod Praes
North America member: Paula Ellman
Consultant: Gertraud Schlesinger Kipp
IPSO representative: Monica Fraenkel d’Alançon

NEWS

COWAP Newsletter on the IPA web
You can read it on the IPA web www.ipa.org.uk and click on Publications, after that click on Online Journals.
Link

New COWAP Book
“Women and Creativity” edited by Laura Tognoli Pasquali and Frances Thomson-Salo.
The book was launched at the EPF Congress after the COWAP Panel in Torino.
Link

 

2014 CALENDAR

May 29-June 1, 74 Congrès des Psychanalystes de Langue Française, Montreal
Nicole Carels (SPB, Bruxelles) and Panos Aloupis (SPP, Paris) to chair COWAP workshop. Jan Abram (SPBritish, Londres) and Sylvie Delorimier (CPS-QE, Montreal) have accepted to participate in this workshop named: “Actuel et transformations du feminine et du masculine”.

September 1-2, XI Latin American Intergenerational Dialogue between men and women: “Parenthood and Gender. Incidence on Subjectivity” – COWAP – Buenos Aires
On this XI Dialogue we intend to think and work on the transformation of parenthood and the cultural changes that have taken place in the last decades. These changes are present in the new family configurations -mono and homo parenthood-; the transformations related to gender identity and body transmutations, and finally the new access to parenthood through the employment of reproductive techniques.
The central themes proposed are broad and varied, and we encourage the development of an open space for reflection, friendliness and productive debate. In this opportunity, the XI Dialogue of COWAP will be held at the beginning of the week of the 30 Latin American Conference of FEPAL (September 3 to 6). We will also have the esteemed presence of IPA President Stefano Bolognini, IPA vice-president Alexandra Billinghurst, Emilce Dio Bleichmar, Estela Welldon and many distinguished Latin American Psychoanalysts.

If you like to participate in this event, please follow the link below.
Link

September 6-7, “Female perspectives and psychoanalysis: past, present, future”, International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin
Organised by Ingrid Moeslein-Teising. The conference will promote Mariam Alizade’s book which will be published in German.
Link

October 11-12, “Myths of Mighty Women” conference, New York
Organised by Arlene Kramer Richards.
Myths about women permeate the culture and impact girls’ development and women’s psyches. The infinite variety of roles that attempt to define women have included: The Virgin Mother, Super Girl, Warrior Woman and Evil Temptress. This forum will examine particular myths from the classics, religious teachings, legends, and popular culture that contribute to the identity and self-esteem of women everywhere. Societal pronouncements about who women are, and whom they might become, transmitted through the culture, impact the lives of all of us.
Psychoanalytic theory focused on the psychology of women will be highlighted. How women have adapted to, or, transcended stereotypes, will be part of the discussion. Following the formal presentations, on each of the two days, there will be small breakout groups to enhance the conversation.
Link

November 29, “Body, gender and subjetivity”, Lima
International Symposium: “Body, gender and subjetivity”. We worked together with the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, with the Master in theoretical studies in psychoanalysis, that Moisés Lemlij founded. We have the participation of Patricia Alkolombre (APA), Luis Herrera (SPP), Violeta Barrientos (Paris) and Valeria Villarán (Peru).

 

2015 CALENDAR
July 24-25, IPA Congress 2015: “Changing World: the shape and use of psychoanalytic tools today”, Boston

Call for proposals. Deadline: 7 September 2014.

CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAST CO-CHAIRS 

ELINA REENKOLA, PAST EUROPEAN CO-CHAIR

What do you think about the influence of COWAP in Europe during the four years that you have been the COWAP Co-Chair?
It has been a great pleasure for me to work as Co-Chair for Europe in COWAP.
COWAP has been active and lively in Europe during the four years and has succeeded in promoting scientific research and discussion about gender questions and sexuality. Interregional communication has been vivid and important.
COWAP has organized conferences on incest and pedophilia, femininity and masculinity, homosexualities, on female psychology including issues on female body, female creativity and female aggression.
Our experience is that these scientific issues may contribute in updating psychoanalytic concepts and  influence the clinical work in helping to understand and treat  our patients better.
COWAP has been productive in publishing books on the conference papers in English enabling a larger audience to get acquainted with them.
COWAP has also organized panels in the EPF conferences.

How did COWAP influence the IPA during your period as a Co-Chair?
COWAP  has  influenced  the IPA by emphasizing the  equal status of female psychoanalysts as speakers in the IPA congresses.
Collaboration with Stefano Bolognini, the IPA president, has began fruitfully.

 

DORIS BERLIN, PAST LATIN AMERICA CO-CHAIR

What do you think about the influence of COWAP in Latin America during the four years that you have been the COWAP Co-Chair?
During the period 2009-2013 we conducted three main COWAP dialogues on important themes as Fatherhood (Perú 2009), New sexualities and their psychoanalytic reformulations (Chile 2011) and Intolerance to the Feminine (México 2013). Also the topic of artificial techniques for procreation and its impact on subjectivity was addressed with interest. In Latin America it was fruitful to device an implement to allow group communication through the internet. New liaisons in small IPA societies like Rosario, Córdoba, Mendoza (Argentina) were designed and thus helped the outreach of COWAP.

What was the influence of the COWAP committee upon the IPA during these years?
The COWAP committee provided a forum to identify with the COWAP objectives and therefore ways for active and committed participation for members of the IPA through this committee. Fertile debates on themes as contemporary sexuality were conducted inside COWAP meetings and dialogues that were open to the wide public. By being in touch with  the COWAP literature some of us could include it at psychoanalytic seminars on about sexuality.

ARLENE KRAMER RICHARDS, PAST NORTH AMERICA CO-CHAIR

What do you think about the influence of COWAP in North America during the four years that you have been the COWAP Co-Chair?
COWAP has had a surprising influence in North America in the past four years. American feminist analysts had previously been quite isolated from our counterparts in Europe and South America. Thanks to the COWAP panels at the IPA and the two large meetings in the US, we now have a better sense of the issues addressed by our colleagues on other continents. We have highlighted issues of cross-cultural and cross-racial adoption and issues of images of women in art. Now we are planning for a conference on images of women heroes in relation to the self images of young women.

How did COWAP influence the IPA during your period as a Co-Chair?
COWAP has influenced the IPA meeting in Mexico City which had been planned with no women on any of the major panels. When this was pointed out to the planning committee they added some women to their panels.

REVIEW OF PAST ACTIVITIES

Report on The COWAP Panel at the EPF conference, Torino, April 2014
By Frances Thomson-Salo, Overall Chair COWAP
This was on the theme of Gender and Ruptures. Rosemary Balsam (American Assoc) presented on “Freud, females, dissidence and childbirth: A story of ruptures in phallocentricism” and Stefano Bolognini (Italian Soc) on “Healthy and unhealthy ruptures: Different paths for gender differentiation and identity”.
There were well over 100 present, a sizeable sector of the total number at the conference, and the largest attendance at an EPF COWAP panel, and a lively discussion as the audience worked to make links between the papers. These are on the EPF website.

Stefano Bolognini

Rosemary Balsam, Stefano Bolognini and Frances Thomson-Salo

Presentation of the Book “Women and Creativity” edited by Laura Tognoli Pasquali and Frances Thomson-Salo at the EPF conference

Frances Thomson-Salo and Laura Tognoli Pasquali

 

You can also read the COWAP Newsletter on the website of the IPA
Link

Email address for contributions:
cowapnewsletter@gmail.com