A women's soccer collection of the Grêmio Museum – Hermínio Bittencourt (Porto Alegre, RS): When musealization provides collaborative experiences
A summary of the research:
This research from Brazil examines the creation and development of the women's football collection at the Grêmio Museum – Hermínio Bittencourt in Porto Alegre. The article explores how the museum used a collaborative approach to bring visibility to the history of women's soccer within a club that traditionally focused on men's achievements. By working with female athletes, former players, fans, and researchers, the museum aimed to address the historical invisibility of women's participation in Brazilian soccer. The study highlights the processes involved in musealization, which includes research, collection, documentation, and exhibition, and how these processes can be used to recognize and preserve the contributions of women to the sport.
The article details how the Grêmio Museum, after initially focusing primarily on men's football history, began to actively collect and exhibit items related to its women's teams, particularly after the re-establishment of the women's football department in 2017. This effort involved the "Narrating Histories" project, which used oral history methods to gather testimonies and objects from female players like Aline de Borba Fermino, Karina Balestra, and Marianita Nascimento. The research emphasizes that documenting and valuing the experiences and contributions of these women is crucial for historical repair and challenges the long-standing gender biases that have marginalized women in Brazilian sports, including the historical legal restrictions on women's professional sports participation.
Here are three key practical takeaways from the article's results:
Actively Work to Document and Value the History of Your Women's Program: Inspired by the Grêmio Museum's efforts to create a women's football collection, coaches and administrators should proactively document the history of their own women's teams. This includes keeping detailed records of players, seasons, achievements, and collecting any available memorabilia like jerseys, photos, and awards. This ensures that the contributions of female players are recognized and preserved for future generations.
Create Meaningful Opportunities for Player Involvement in Shaping Team Identity and Legacy: The Grêmio Museum's collaborative approach, involving athletes in the collection and exhibition process, demonstrates the value of engaging current and former players in shaping the narrative of your program. Seek their input on team traditions, achievements they deem significant, and potentially involve them in creating displays or sharing their stories with current players and the wider community. This fosters a stronger sense of belonging and legacy.
Challenge and Address Gender Disparities in Resource Allocation and Recognition Within Your Organization: The article highlights the historical invisibility and marginalization of women's football. Coaches and administrators should critically examine their own club or organization for any existing gender disparities in resource allocation, coaching support, facilities, and public recognition between men's and women's programs. Actively work to address these imbalances to create a more equitable and supportive environment for female athletes, ensuring their achievements are valued and celebrated equally.
Authors: Sibelle Barbosa da Silva & Vanessa Barrozo Teixeira Aquino
You can read the entire article here. (In Portuguese).
