From the Feminist Movement to Widespread Feminism

The research on the trajectories of the main feminist groups operating in Milan in the 1970s, published by the Center for Historical Studies on the Women’s Liberation Movement in Italy in 1985, remains one of the most significant testimonies to the profound individual and collective transformations produced by neofeminism, its “revolutionary” practices and theories: from the analysis of male-female relationships, sexuality and motherhood, to the redefinition of politics, the body-thought relationship, and the private-public sphere. The pathways, intersections, and diverse forms assumed by collective action, entrusted to the voices of the protagonists and reconstructed with passionate, rigorous participation by the authors, appear today as precious material, not only for the history of a generation of women, but for understanding the present.

Anna Rita Calabrò teaches Sociology in the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Salerno. She focuses on issues such as women’s reality, youth, and marginalization. Among her books: Il vento non soffia più (Marsilio, 1992), Una giornata qualsiasi (Ripostes, 1966), L’ambivalenza come risorsa (Laterza, 1977), Madri sole (Angeli, 1998).

Laura Grasso, sociologist and psychologist, is the author of several publications on women’s condition. Notable works include: Compagno padrone (1974), Madre Amore Donna (1977), Madri e figlie. Specchio contro Specchio (1979). This book stems from the intersection of professional interest and direct participation in the feminist movement of the 1970s.