Partizipation von Frauen in sozialen Bewegungen : Cumann na mBan & die Spaltung der IRA, 1968–1970

Abstract

2014 marks the centenary of the Irish Republican women’s organisation Cumann na mBan. Nevertheless, research on Republican women has long focused only on the period 1914-1923. Moreover, historians researching this and subsequent periods use to stress the subordinate role of female activists under a male Republican leadership. It is common belief that women were marginalised within the Irish Republican Movement, unable to actively participate in decision-making processes. However, women performed a definitive role in the Irish Republican Movement during all decades of the 20th century. Therefore, this article aims to explain how women shaped the politics of the Republican Movement during the early years of the Northern Irish Troubles. To make the role of women visible, the Republican split in 1969/70 will serve as a case study. Based on interviews with former members of Cumann na mBan and archival research, the article outlines the leading role of women in one of the most significant splits of the Irish Republican Movement, forming the Provisional Army Council and the Provisional IRA. Thus, the findings of the article will help understanding the participation process of marginalised groups, in this case female activists, in social movements in 20th Century Europe.