Symposium | Between Refuge and Refusal; tracing the history of feminist and queer bookstores and publisher
On Thursday 13 November 2025, the international symposium Between Refuge and Refusal; tracing the history of feminist and queer bookstores and publishers takes place in the University Museum Utrecht. The symposium outlines the rich history of women’s bookstores and publishers and reflects on their impact on feminist and queer communities, then and now.
Historian Marijke Huisman gives a keynote and sheds light on the history and impact of Savannah Bay and the Heksenkelder. In addition, Jane Cholmeley (co-founder of the iconic Silver Moon Bookshop in London), Doris Hermanns (ex-owner VrouweninDruk and expert on the Women in Print movement), and Catherine Koekoek (researcher, curator and facilitator in the fields of architecture, feminism, and political philosophy) will have a conversation about the colorful history of women’s bookstores. A new generation of researchers, Inge Frank van Vught, Noah Littel, and Tessa Karsten talk about their research into the meaning of women’s publishers and queer archives.
The program encompasses panel conversations, poster presentations by (PhD-)students, and a symbolic transfer of the Savannah Bay archive to Atria and IHLIA. After the plenary program, there will be drinks during which the mini exhibition of our archive can be admired.
The title “Between Refuge and Refusal” is inspired by a study with the same title by Catherine Koekoek and Suzanne van der Beek on the positioning of Savannah Bay and other feminist/queer spaces.