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Les sœurs Grimké

Les sœurs Grimké

De l'antiesclavagisme aux droits de la femme

Edited by Colette Collomb-Boureau

Les fondamentaux du féminisme anglo-saxon



Grimké sisters : from antislavery to woman's rights
from antislavery to woman's rights

In what way can the story of the Grimké sisters be of interest to French contemporary readers not particularly versed in xixth century American history ? Will they rather consider the activists of the radical antislavery movement or the pioneering figures of the feminist cause ? The sisters' itinerary, with the destinations they elected or disowned, illustrates their journey, away from a South steeped in tradition to New England, the soil of reform radicalism. It tells of the gestation of their own rebellion, of the strengthening of their positions and of their social, religious and intellectual emancipation.

More than the vocal part they played in the public debate against slavery, their writings, never before translated into French, throw light on this evolution which, together with the antislavery stance, puts greater emphasis on feminist arguments, the progressivism of which remains unequalled even today.