Por un feminismo radical y marxistaEl colectivo feminista de Madrid en el contexto de la Transición española (1976-1980)

Abstract

The Spanish feminist movement emerged following the death of the dictator Francisco Franco in November 1975 as new social and political possibilities opened up. It was therefore strongly conditioned by the transition to democracy as well as by the international context. Its main dilemma was between ‘single activism’ (ie participation in the feminist movement alone) or ‘double activism’ (participation in both the feminist movement and in political parties). The radical feminist and Marxist organisation Feminist Collective of Madrid was one of the few to defend the latter stance. Legalised by the Spanish State, it was founded in September 1976 after splitting from the Feminist Collective Seminary of Madrid. By applying the Marxist theory to the situation of women, they argued that domestic work within the family, imposed by structures such as patriarchy and capitalism, was the main source of oppression for women. This organization developed its own theoretical analysis of the exploitation of women and took part in various feminist campaigns to end the discrimination against women. The Feminist Collective came to an end in 1980, leaving an important legacy for the second wave of the feminist movement in Spain. This research focuses on the Feminist Collective in Madrid, its internal functioning, its rank-and-file members, the relations between Madrid and other sections, its theoretical base, as well as its participation in the various campaigns that the feminist movement carried out between 1976 and 1980. This research is based on primary sources, comprising both documents and interviews. It aims to differentiate radical feminism from Marxist feminism, which led to much confusion within the Spanish movement, and to place this group in relation to the different currents. This research also pays attention to the originality of the thought of the Collective, although it mostly drew on the ideas of Christine Delphy. The study focuses on the Madrid group, which highlights the regional diversity within Spanish feminism...