Publishing ”Weaving Tapestries of Hope: a herstory of 20 year of the KWWA”

<Publishing ”Weaving Tapestries of Hope: a herstory of 20 year of the KWWA” >



Since 2007 when it was 20 years of the KWWA, the publication of its herstory had been planned, and finally “Weaving Tapestries of Hope” in Korean was published.  There were two sections in the book: In the first section, 20 year activities of the KWWA between 1987 and 2006 were described; and in the second section, the lives of 12 women workers were depicted vividly.

The first part regarding KWWA’s 20 year of activities, outcomes and tasks were written by Sohn Young Ju, a previous secretary-general and the evaluation team.  Ms. Sohn collected data and wrote the draft, and the evaluation team consisting of 8 previous and present fulltime activists had evaluation and discussion several times.  It contains various important moments in details: the social atmosphere and live testimony when the KWWA was created in 1987; and how to organize unemployed women and how to socially raise their issues in face of the Korean economic crisis in 1997; since the economic crisis, KWWA’s reactions and countermeasures regarding women workers who became irregular and in poverty, and in 2008 new vision set in the course when its herstory of 20 years was arranged.  You can feel the heartbeats and breaths that KWWA have taken for 20 years. “Weaving Tapestries of Hope” enables you to listen to so vivid and dynamic situations as to a herstory of 20 years of KWWA that you can draw pictures about the herstory.

The 2nd section is about ‘my life and my work’ of 12 women workers, which was written by Shin Kyeong-A, a professor of sociology of the Hallym University. The second sector portrays vivid stories regarding how 12 women workers whose jobs are in women workers concentrated industries have led her lives for the past 20 years, shed tears, but they had to stand up firmly. The section covers the stories about a sewer and a woman worker who were in charge of electronic assembly in their 50s, and a bank clerk, clerical worker, service worker, insurance saleswoman, telemarketer, and nurse in their 40s, a programmer, care worker, and clerical worker in their 30s, and a woman unemployed university graduator in her 20s.  Most of them were from poor families. Because their mothers were breadwinners, they were not able to starve and able to complete up to their middle schools or high schools. Since they saw their mothers working hard all the way, they tried to gain things with their clear economic motives.  These women who tried to lead a subjective and independent life with strong self-motivation have gone through a lot of difficulties and obstacles, which shows how tired women and workers are in the Korean society.

“Weaving Tapestries of Hope” was also published in English, too. However the English version has only the first section.

Each book is 10,000 won, and it will be distributed free to KWWA’s members.