"Strong we make each other" : Emma Goldman, the American aide to Mujeres Libres during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939

Abstract

This thesis explores the American immigrant anarcho-feminist Emma Goldman‟s (1869-1940) affiliation with the Spanish anarcho-feminist organization Mujeres Libres [Free Women] during the Spanish Civil War both as a guide and an aide. No study devoted exclusively to Emma Goldman‟s relation with Mujeres Libres has ever been published. The aim of this thesis is two-fold: firstly, it redresses the current historiography arguing that rather than Mujeres Libres, Emma Goldman pioneered the anarcho-feminist ideology. Goldman acted as a guide to Mujeres Libres in its dual committment to anti-fascist struggle and sexual emancipation. Secondly, this thesis shows that out of her solidarity with Mujeres Libres, Goldman carried the anarcho-feminist movement onto the international platform through her propaganda and fund-raising activities for the refugees of the Spanish Civil War.