Flora Tristan was a French social and feminist activist in the early 19th century. Flora was born in Paris in 1803. Her father was a Spanish colonel and his family had a great deal of influence in Peru. Flora's father died when she was four years old, but due to legal technicalities, her deceased father's lands and wealth were confiscated leaving Flora and her mother destitute. Flora went to Peru in 1833 attempting to get her father's property back. Though she was unable to get back her rightful inheritance, Flora was certainly inspired by her stay in Peru. She wrote a travel diary about her time there and published it with the title Pérégrinations d'une Paria. Flora married a man named André Chazal in 1821. Their marriage was a failure and Flora felt that she was enslaved by marriage. She sought to separate from him, this separation was not granted until after her husband shot her. Her experience of marriage and her travels to Peru and other countries helped fuel her desire to write about social issues and to take an active role in trying to fix the problems in society. Her last work written in 1843, The Worker's Union, is a good example of her social and political activism. Flora connected the working class's struggles with the struggles of all women.
"In the life of the workers, woman is everything.
She is their providence. If she is missing, everything is missing."
-Flora Tristan
In 1844, Flora contracted yellow fever and died. There is an association for women in Peru named after Flora Tristan. It is called Centro de la mujer peruana Flora Tristán. They have a website written in Spanish, but I believe that they provide legal help to women who may be suffering from domestic violence. They also have an online library and their website can help direct those who wish to have an active role in social change get more information about what they can do to become involved.
Here are some links with more info on Flora Tristan!
No comments:
Post a Comment