Remembering World War II in 1970s Italian Women's Writing

Abstract

This essay examines how the past was remembered and politicized during the decade following the political and cultural turmoil of 1968. In that watershed year, there was a proliferation of student and labor activists that paved the way for other social movements, among them the Italian feminist movement. During this time women made use of a new language to communicate publicly their private memories of the war. Specifically, I look at how the women’s movement opened up a space for women to participate in public discussions about understandings of women’s current conditions and past experiences.