Relations et effets miroirs. Une décennie de féminisme italien dans une perspective internationale (1868-1877)

Abstract

This contribution examines the relationships, during the 1870s, between early Italian feminism and international feminist associations, which were considered by historiography as the beginning of the internationalisation of the women’s movement. Based on an analysis of the magazines La Donna (1868-1891), published by Gualberta Alaide Beccari, and Cornelia (1872-1880,) published by Aurelia Cimino Folliero, this essay shows that, up to the 1880s, the magazines acted as a substitute for voluntary organisations in Italy, when it came to providing links with international activities. The study also shows that, although both magazines were associated with the European pacifist movement, their stances were significantly different with regard to regulated prostitution, and that national specificities were often cited as the reason for the lack of support for Josephine Butler’s British and Continental Federation for the Abolition of Prostitution.

Keywords

• early feminism
• pacifism
• abolitionism
• feminist journalism
• Italianness
• journalism