«Volemo pan, polenta e lavor»: le proteste delle donne triestine, 1914-1918

Autori: Ana Cergol Paradiž, Marta Verginella
In: Genesis. XV/1, 2016
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Abstract

During the First World War, the lack of food became a burning issue in many European towns. Everyday urban spaces were transformed into important points of destabilization and resistance as well as political venues in which, as consumers and housewives, women importantly participated. By using a variety of sources, especially court records, and by applying the concept of “moral economy” this paper analyzes how the women of Trieste, in particular by participating in riots, demonstrations and other smaller illegal actions related to food, fought against war shortages. The lack of food during the First World War was caused by several complex factors. Women from various European towns blamed different inducers for their plight. The authors of this essay are interested in whom the women of Trieste perceived as the main enemy and how often, according to different agents, they themselves, as participants of riots and demonstrations or as price increasers, played the role of the “enemy from within”.