Göksu Kaymakçioglu

Emma Goldman, American Aide to Mujeres Libres in the Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939 Göksu Kaymakçioglu

This work 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 work 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 work 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.