Women and National Liberation Movements

Oppressed, subjugated, and colonized peoples have always struggled for freedom, so it was not surprising when, across the globe in the 20th century, the widespread human desire for independence and self-determination gave rise to organized national liberation movements. What did surprise many observers at the time was the number of women who took part in these liberation movements. Anti-imperial and anticolonial struggles were waged to give people political, social, and economic equality, including the ability to provide housing, food, health care, education, and employment to all people. Women who bore the brunt of the costs associated with production and reproduction in colonized societies supported these movements. Their intimate involvement in emancipatory struggles in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East not only signaled the ...