No solo Penélopes: la participación de las mujeres ítalo-argentinas en la reivindicación de los derechos políticos y civiles

Abstract

This work analyzes one of the aspects largely underestimated by scholars: the role played by women during the so-called "Great Emigration." Among the many destinations of our great emigration, Argentina was, between 1860 and 1960, along with the United States, one of the favorite destinations for our compatriots. The image of immigrant women has long been that of a completely secondary and "hidden" figure within the family, even if they worked as much or more than men. On the contrary, the great Italian female exodus has had an impact at social, political, economic, demographic, and scientific levels, leading to a profound redefinition of gender roles for both the women who stayed at home and those who crossed the ocean. However, beyond their contributions in the literary field, the aim of this study is to broaden the perspective and direct attention to those who have also engaged in other political and cultural fields. That is, to highlight how emigration has acquired significant "emancipatory potential" for women, enabling them not only to achieve independence—not just economic—but also transforming them into active protagonists of social change. Following the winds of new libertarian, socialist, and anarchist ideas that arrived from overseas along with intellectuals and professionals who emigrated from Europe and spread through workers' associations, many women, such as Alfonsina Storni, Carolina Muzilli, Julieta Lanteri, and Delia Parodi, have made a fundamental contribution to the advocacy of political and civil rights. In its multifaceted and varied nature, female emigration was not only marked by defeats and pains, disappointments and failures, but also by happy declines and fruitful civic engagements, actively contributing to the formation of the nascent Argentine society.