As an international and interdisciplinary research network, Fenix brings into contact researchers from the fields of Gender, History, and Culture to share their perspectives on women refugees’, exiles’, and migrants’ experiences. The Fenix network focuses on migratory movements from and to Spain and Latin America during the 20th century.

Focus on History: The field of Refugee Studies successfully focuses on today’s migratory flows but rarely addresses historical matters. Still, migration and exile have long roots in Western History. The 20th century is especially characterized by massive refugee crisis and migratory flows between Europe and Latin America. The Fenix Network provides an insight in the strategies used by 20th-century migrants and refugees to overcome the challenges of displacement.

Focus on Gender: Women refugees, exiles, and migrants fulfill an important role in both the processes of integration in the host country and the preservation of the culture and language of the country of origin. However, female testimonies on the trajectory of displacement, adaptation and identity development are less foregrounded, which means that the figure of the refugee is generally determined by a male perspective. The Fenix network provides an insight in the specificity of women refugees’, exiles’ and migrants’ experiences.

Focus on Culture: The network focuses on the artistic and cultural production of 20th-century exile, refugee and migrant women as testimonies of their trajectories of displacement, experiences as newcomers, and processes of transnational networking and identity development.

The Fenix network offers a wide range of research activities (seminars, congresses, joint publications, meetings) and possibilities for exchange between its members. By means of collaboration and shared exploration of insights, the network aims at showing the female face of 20th-century exile and migration from and to Spain and Latin America.