Presentation

Between 2011 and 2016, in collaboration with Luciana Percovich, Sarah Perini, and Daniela Degan, and with the help of the incredible women of Laima and the Cerchia delle Lune of Turin, we created four international conferences—three dedicated to Indigenous Cultures of Peace and one to honor the work of Marija Gimbutas, who was the first to recognize the revolutionary significance of the existence of peaceful peoples in the past.

We used the term “Indigenous Cultures of Peace” to refer to societies characterized by the absence of violence—particularly toward women and children—and by alternative mechanisms for conflict resolution. In most cases, these cultures are based on matriarchal systems, according to the redefinition proposed by the scholar Heide Goettner-Abendroth, and they promote balanced interaction with others and with the environment. Central to the new vision of matriarchal studies is also the maternal gift economy theory developed by Genevieve Vaughan, a scholar and peace activist who participated in and supported all the conferences.

During those years, we invited members of living matriarchal societies, scholars working on these themes, representatives of global women’s spirituality, and individuals from our own world who contribute to fostering a vision of partnership and alliance with the Earth.

Luciana Percovich, writer and a leading figure in research on the Sacred Feminine in Italy, curated the conference contents and redefined the key concepts that guided our work during those years.

Below, you can consult the programs, interviews, and articles that preserve the memory of what we wove together with people from across Italy and guests from all over the world. A reminder that the return of the “Goddess” is not simply a turn toward a new religious cult, but a true overturning of our vision of life—one that transcends anthropocentrism and the systems of domination that inhabit our minds and our relationships.

Morena Luciani Russo