"Look, Do You See My Hands?" Political Activism and Work of Women in Exile

Abstract

The Spanish civil war represented an important political break and learning process for Republican and anti-fascist women. After their defeat, along with political, social and economic repression, exile was the main consequence. In this context, women mobilized their political and militant capacities, but also diverse strategies in their training as active subjects. Through various types of testimonial sources, we will question the construction of an identity as working and militant women.  To this aim, we will analyse, on the one hand, the theorisations and visions of republican and anti-fascist political cultures on working women and their political participation. On the other hand, the different practical applications of these discourses in moments of social urgency and accelerated political activity such as war and exile.