Mujeres y acción política en la antigua Roma. Lecturas de Ettore Ciccotti, un socialista en la Europa del siglo XIX

Abstract

Among the various struggles of the 19th century, the feminist stands out, which had an impact in the politicians and intellectuals of the time. Many thinkers criticized feminist attitudes, while others supported women's liberation movements. Particularly striking was the case of Ettore Ciccotti (1863-1939), a politician of the Italian Socialist Party and a professor of Ancient History. This historian was inspired by the events carried out by the Roman matrons, especially in the last two centuries of the Roman Republic, to reflect on the scope of women's political activities. He does so as a man immersed in the political and historiographical context of the Italy of his time. Despite his political commitment, his understanding of Roman women still conforms with the androcentric prejudices that prevailed in 19th century Europe. This paper deals with his curious work Donne e politica negli ultimi anni della Repubblica romana (1895), the context in which it was published and its subsequent influence in the beginnings of the history of women.