Anarchism and feminism: a historical survey

This article discusses a double paradox: first, that the anarchists, so proud of their genuine commitment to anti-authoritarian politics, were yet so blind to the oppressive effects of patriarchy.However, secondly, within this generally male-orientated culture, there were still ambivalences in anarchist politics, with some pockets of real sympathy for feminism.Material is drawn from the experience of anarchists within Europe, 1840Europe, -1940. .Two recently published books discuss important questions about the historical relationship between anarchism and feminism.Martha Ackelsberg's Free Women of Spain examines the difficult development of an anarchist-feminist current within and alongside established anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist institutions.Following protracted debates, an independent strand of anarcho-feminism emerged in 1936 in the form of the Mujeres libres.[1]Emma Goldman, by Bonnie Haaland, discusses the political implications of Goldman's feminist interpretation of anarchist thought.[2] Her research identifies the unusual nature of Goldman's feminism: sharply critical of suffrage-orientated feminism, curiously and explicitly heterosexual in her sexual politics, but also forthright and eloquent in her assertion of women's rights and her critique of patriarchal oppression.Both these works significantly develop our knowledge of the anarchists' sexual politics, and help correct some of the flaws which have marked previous works.[3] In this paper, I will develop ideas and debates initiated by these works, and so present a more wide-ranging survey of the relationship between the two traditions.It must be stressed that my aim is not to present an apology for, or denial of the confused and often disappointing response by anarchists to the development of feminism.'Anarcho-sexism' was a real and powerful force; it was a strong influence on many anarchist theorists and organizations, and it stunted much anarchist thought.However, it is too easy merely to register its existence: in this article I will examine in detail the