Between political cultures: The sección femenina during the first francoism (1936-1945)

Abstract

The current article examines the relationship between gender, the political culture of Fascism and the construction of public space during the early years of the Franco Regime (1936 – 1945). The article analyses the evolution of the discourse and the politics promoted by the Sección Femenina de F.E.T during that period. It refers to the concept of «political culture» as a set of symbols and discourses that are located within a relatively stable ideological corpus. These symbols and discourse influence and are being influences by a series of political practices and expectations. The objective of the article is to examine the ways in which the Sección Femenina understood the role of women, as agents of political and social change, under the dictatorship and within the political culture of fascism.