Ragazze di convitto. Emigrazione femminile e convitti industriali in Svizzera

Preview presentation of the new book by Yvonne Pesenti Salazar - Ragazze di convitto. Emigrazione femminile e convitti industriali in Svizzera (Armando Dadò Editore, 2024).

Between the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, many young women left Ticino, the Graubünden valleys and northern Italy to work in the textile factories of German-speaking Switzerland. Because they were minors, they were interned in boarding schools run by nuns and subjected to a regime of strict discipline and isolation. The book explores this migratory phenomenon by recounting the harsh living conditions of very young female workers and the ambiguous role of religious and industrial institutions. A journey into the forgotten history of these "boarding school girls", who with their sacrifices contributed to the prosperity of the Swiss textile industry.

The author will be joined by: Hon. Marina Carobbio Guscetti, Director of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport – Republic and Canton of Ticino and Roberto Antonini, journalist

The volume is part of the Quaderni di Archivi Donne Ticino series

7.30 p.m.
Buffet

8.45 p.m.
Screening of the documentary based on Yvonne Pesenti Salazar's research - Ragazze di convitto, by Werner Weick (1989, 1:07"). Courtesy of RSI Swiss Radio and Television

Participation is free. Registration to [email protected]