Transnational Working-Class Women’s Activism in New York’s Confederated Hispanic Societies (1939–1977)

Abstract

The demands of exile and the culture of labor radicalism and antifascism in mid-century New York transformed exile Spanish Civil War women’s inherited gendered relationship with the state. Initially, the traditional framework of womanhood drew women together to help Civil War refugees. In the course of their involvement, women actively participated in the organization of fund-raising events for republican Spain. They developed their talents as organizers, amateur actresses, singers and dancers. In contrast with their literary representations in España Libre (New York, 1939–1977), the Confederated Hispanic Societies’ newspaper, which often reduced Spanish women to a national symbol, confederated women were crucial political actors of exile in the United States, and their voluntary relief work increased their profile in exile communities.

The grassroots activism in which women participated, encouraged transnational solidarity, local community consciousness, and forged a sense of shared culture and identity for exiles. In addition to performing and fund-raising, women cultivated their own political thought of social change and often participated and led in the same forums and publications as men. However, recognition of the women’s significant contributions to anti-fascism and anti-Francoism was limited by the confederation’s patriarchal framework. Today, the recovery of their actions and voices adds to both American and Spanish social history and to the scholarly work on women’s strategies of political involvement.