The female memory factory: How the gendered labour of memory creates mnemonic capital

This study introduces the concept of 'mnemonic capital,' demonstrating how gendered mnemonic labor—where women's efforts to preserve and activate memory—transforms into a form of institutionalized value. Through a feminist economic analysis, it reveals that mnemonic labor, particularly in contexts like the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct (PFFP) in Sydney, accumulates as mnemonic capital, reinforcing gendered dimensions of memory work. The research applies this framework to the activism of the Parragirls and PFFP Memory Project, highlighting how their efforts to reclaim the history of Australia's longest continuous site of female containment challenge institutionalized violence and forgetting. The analysis underscores the global economic system's role in perpetuating gendered erasure while illuminating the potential for mnemonic labor to create lasting change.

Reading, A. (2019). The female memory factory: How the gendered labour of memory creates mnemonic capital. European Journal of Women’s Studies, 26(3), 293–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350506819855410