Intersections of Anarcho-Feminism: Emma Goldman, Mujeras Libres, and the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

In this paper, Alexandra Wright evokes a feminist movement that flared to life in 1930’s Spain, burned brightly amid the political chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and just as quickly burned out. Emma Goldman’s sexually based anarcho-feminism was too hot for mainstream Spanish women to handle. But like the flash of an explosion, this radical ideology left a bright spot in the vision of Spain’s women for years to come. The possibilities that emerged in Goldman’s movement for women’s liberation, women’s advancement, women’s involvement in the great political issues of their day were a precedent for future feminist pioneers. Wright’s research is thorough, her analysis evenhanded, and her exposition sparklingly clear. –Raphael Folsom