Dr. Catherine Barbour

The PHIRGAL project is a transnational consortium consists of 15 researchers based in Spain, Ireland and Poland which explores the numerous posthuman configurations and intersections in Irish and Galician literary production since the year 2000 from both transversal and multilingual perspectives. Through comparative analysis of Irish and Galician literary texts, PHIRGAL investigates the synergies between different posthuman typologies, such as those found between humans and non-human animals, the environment and the latest technological discoveries, with the aim of fostering the protection of subaltern subjectivities and equal rights. https://irgal.es/

This partnership between Trinity College Dublin and Women"s Collective Donegal breaks new ground in its investigation of the role of creative writing and artwork as a means of empowerment in times of 'crisis' for women in Co. Donegal. Workshops were held across the county in June 2023 in locations representing the north, south and west (Buncrana, Donegal Town and Downings respectively), using creative methodologies through which different groups of local women explored the theme of 'crisis'. The sessions concluded with focus groups in which participants evaluated the role of community arts practice in confronting local issues as well as their own creative process. The research examines the participants' creative outputs and evaluations, demonstrating the value of creative writing for rural and border communities from an intersectional feminist perspective. Topical issues explored include the Mica scandal, excess fish-farming, lack of public transport, difficulties with access to healthcare and failures of political representation in the north west. The outputs consist of a public engagement docu-film documenting the workshops and embedded with interviews with participants, practitioners and researchers; a community engagement showcase of the creative work and findings; a film screening and a digital compilation of the women's work. Findings will be published in a white paper recommending best practice in facilitating creative writing for rural women's empowerment, as well as a peer-reviewed journal article.

This transnational collaboration takes a multidisciplinary, intersectional feminist approach to examining the gendered impact of global environmental, health, political and economic crises on women's geographical and social (im)mobility. The project investigates how the dramatic societal shifts caused by moments of crisis provoke, inform or prevent the local, national and transnational movement of women. How are women's experiences of (im)mobility during crises underscored by race, class, nation, sexuality, disability, language and health? How do these issues play out in distinct cultural, geopolitical, judicial and behavioural contexts? Informed by a range of expertise across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the research draws on digital, judicial and ethnographic case studies, cultural texts and quantitative data, bringing into dialogue the 'Global South' (Brazil, Mexico) and the 'Global North' (UK, Ireland, Spain).