L’Unione Femminile (1901-1905): reti e relazioni internazionali

Abstract

Unione Femminile (1901-1905) was one of the most important women’s political magazines of the early twentieth century. It was created to give visibility to the Italian and international women’s movements and, in particular, to the activities promoted since 1899 by the association of the same name. Offering its female readers insights into the status of women in different countries and accurate and useful reports on the initiatives of the women’s movement around the world, the magazine set out to show its readers what was happening beyond national borders and offer ideas for social and political work which could be undertaken in Italy. Through the examination of the most important foreign magazines and lively correspondence with women from different countries, the members of the Unione Femminile editorial staff disseminated news about progress in female associations, women’s professional achievements, education for women and women’s campaigns for universal suffrage. The examination of this precious documentary heritage allows us, therefore, to shed new light on this period of history, and on the richness and plurality of the international networks created by women.

Keywords

• Unione Femminile
• women’s associations
• women’s magazines
• international networks
• women’s emancipation
• women’s suffrage