Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Women, violence and the Rand revolt of 1922

1996; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 22; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03057079608708499

1465-3893

Jeremy Krikler,

Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics

This article analyses the role of women in the Witwatersrand strike‐cum‐rising of 1922. It demonstrates the dramatic female role in the ‘commando’ movement and in the violence of this time. The way in which women used their sex to protect their men in confrontations with state forces; the violence offered by women to police; their role in disciplining and humiliating strikebreakers — all these are assessed. The analysis reveals that the exigencies of the strike led women to take on roles usually associated with men, but that when the struggle developed into its military phase, women were removed from the centre‐stage to the wings of the drama. The article also reflects upon how a focus on women transforms our view of the Rand Revolt, and it considers the relationship of class to gender at an extreme time.