Women and Political Activism in France, 1848-1852: First Feminists

Description

This book is organized around the personal struggles of ten extraordinary French women activists: Eugenie Niboyet, Eugenie Foa, Suzanne Voilquin, Josephine Bachellery, Pauline Roland, Jeanne Deroin, Elisa Lemonnier, Desiree Gay, Adele Esquiros, and Marie Noemie Constant. Ranging in age from 52 to 20 in 1848, coming from different economic backgrounds, these women share a common quest to be included in the economic and political rights won by the revolt against the July Monarchy. Banding together in the face of exclusion from the right to work guaranteed to all men in February 1848, they write petitions to the Provisional Government, and create the first daily feminist newspaper, “La Voix des femmes.” The newspaper is a forum for their demands: midwives who demand to be paid as civil servants, domestic workers who demand support while unemployed, teachers who demand opportunities for higher education and for higher wages. The right to vote and the right to divorce are debated in the newspaper. Seeking to widen their support, Niboyet and her cohort launch a political club, Le Club de femmes, which is ridiculed in the satiric press. The women activists of 1848 do not withdraw from the public sphere. They form workers’ associations. Deroin and Roland are imprisoned for their activism. All continue to work for women’s rights as teachers, writers, and artists. The women of 1848 inspire successive generations of women to continue their struggle.  Chronology of Women and Political Activism in Paris: 1848–1852 Acknowledgments Contents About the Author List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: First Feminists Chapter 2: Different Paths to 1848 Gathering of the Cohort Shared Concerns in February 1848 Chapter 3: Rebels, Images, Petitions The February Revolution Marianne de Lamartine and the Société Maternelle Vésuviennes Women Petition the Provisional Government Letters to the Provisional Government Chapter 4: Developing the Feminist Agenda La Voix des femmes Société de la Voix des femmes The Feminist Agenda of 1848 Chapter 5: The Right to Work Women and Paid Labor National Workshops and the Luxembourg Commission National Workshops for Women Midwives and Domestic Workers Fête de la Concorde Chapter 6: The Club des Femmes Political Clubs The Club des Femmes Satiric Images of the Club des Femmes Chapter 7: Revolution, Repression, Resistance La Politique des femmes Women on the Barricades Silencing Women Producer and Consumer Cooperatives Chapter 8: Women Reclaim Public Roles The Constitution of the Second Republic Banquets L’Opinion des femmes Jeanne Deroin: Candidate for the National Assembly The Fraternal Association of Male and Female Teachers and Professors Union of Workers’ Associations The Trial and Imprisonment of Jeanne Deroin and Pauline Roland Chapter 9: After the Coup d’Etat Coup d’état Chapter 10: Conclusion: Legacy of the First Feminists Works Cited Archival Sources Periodical Sources For Women Readers For Workers Satiric Press General Books and Articles Index