WE ARE MANY is an exhibition put on by the Women’s History Archives that celebrates the 50-year anniversary of the collection’s foundation.

The Women’s History Archives was established on January 1st 1975, in a 4th-floor flat on Hjarðarhagi, Reykjavík, that was home to Anna Sigurðardóttir. The founding of the Archives was the first event held in Iceland in support of the United Nations International Women’s Year, first held in 1975. The year 2025 has likewise been designated a Women’s Year in Iceland by grassroot organisations for gender equality and labour unions.

The aim of the Women’s History Archives was, and is, to collect, document and preserve women’s history in Iceland, and to encourage research in the field. The operational principle was the conviction that the life of the housewife who boils fish in a pot is just as an integral part of Icelandic history as that of the male politician who steps onto the podium in Parliament. From 1996, the Women’s History Archives has been part of the National and University Library of Iceland: this was Anna Sigurðardóttir’s dream from the start – as women’s history is part of the history of the Icelandic nation.

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