Filantrope femministe nell’Italia di inizio Novecento. Un’avanguardia poco riconosciuta

This paper analyzes the female philanthropy in Italy at the begin- nings of the XX century, as a strategy of the Italian emancipation movement in the direction of "practical feminism". The central part of the essay presents a concrete initiative, the cooperative of the Indus- trie Femminili Italiane (Italian Female Industries), and discusses its political relevance through some writings by Amelia Pincherle Rosselli, a very active member of the organization. Rosselli highlights: 1) the po- litical significance of the enterprise, whose objective was not only the economic and social promotion of women, but also their active citizen- ship; 2) the enhancement of textile craftsmanship that underlies spe- cific development model and quality of work; 3) the polyvalent meaning of lace, in the economic, social, aesthetic and symbolic realms; 4) the laboratory as a place where unprecedented relationships were experi- enced between women of different classes. In conclusions, the paper refers to recent researches that suggest a new methodological and his- toriographical approach, useful for framing the presence of feminist philanthropists and recognizing their particular contribution to the po- litical history of the twentieth century.