Teresa Mañé facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Teresa Mañé
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Teresa Mañé (1929)
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Teresa Mañé i Miravet
29 November 1865 Cubelles, Spain
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| Died | 5 February 1939 (aged 73) Perpinyà, France
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| Nationality | Catalan |
| Other names | Soledad Gustavo |
| Occupation | Teacher |
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Notable work
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La Revista Blanca |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Frederica Montseny i Mañé |
Teresa Mañé i Miravet (1865–1939) was a Spanish teacher, editor, and writer. She was also known by her pen name, Soledad Gustavo.
Teresa Mañé believed in a new way of teaching called progressive education. She helped start some of the first schools in Catalonia that were not linked to a church. With her husband, Joan Montseny, she published a magazine called La Revista Blanca. In this magazine, she shared her ideas about anarchism, feminism, and teaching methods. Her daughter, Frederica Montseny i Mañé, later became an important leader in the Spanish anarchist movement. She also became the Minister of Health for Spain.
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Her Life and Work
Teresa Mañé i Miravet was born in Cubelles, Spain, on November 29, 1865. Her family was quite well-off. She grew up in a nearby town called Vilanova i la Geltrú.
In 1883, she studied teaching in Barcelona. Three years later, in 1886, she helped open Catalonia's first secular school in Vilanova. This school taught children without religious influence.
Early Political Views
At first, Teresa thought of herself as a federal republican. This meant she believed in a government where power is shared between a central authority and local areas. Later, she became an anarchist. Anarchism is a political idea that believes in societies without a government or rulers. She met other anarchists like Josep Llunas i Pujals and Teresa Claramunt.
She started writing for radical newspapers using the name "Soledad Gustavo". She met Joan Montseny (also known as Federico Urales) and they married in 1891.
Starting Schools and Publications
The couple moved to Reus and opened another secular school. They used teaching ideas from famous educators like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Maria Montessori. Teresa Mañé was part of a group called the Confederation of Lay Teachers of Catalonia. She strongly supported progressive education, which focuses on learning through experience and individual needs. This was years before Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia started his famous Modern School.
Later, Joan Montseny had to leave Spain for a while. By 1898, he came back secretly. He and Teresa settled in Madrid. There, they started a magazine called La Revista Blanca and a daily newspaper, Tierra y Libertad.
In these publications, Teresa wrote many articles. She wrote about women's freedom and new ways of teaching. She also translated writings from other thinkers. She worked very closely with her husband, often helping him finish his essays. Her writings were even published in the United States. She worked with writers from other countries too, like Ricardo Mella and Anna Maria Mozzoni.
Family Life and Later Years
In 1905, Teresa had a daughter, Frederica Montseny i Mañé. The family moved to a house near Vallecas. There, they lived by growing their own food and earning money from their writing.
After some legal trouble for Joan, the family moved back to Catalonia. They started livestock farming. Teresa also worked as a translator. In Barcelona, Teresa homeschooled her daughter. She used progressive education methods, giving Frederica many materials and letting her choose what she wanted to study.
Teresa and her family also started publishing La Revista Blanca again. It did very well, even though the government tried to stop it.
When the Second Spanish Republic was formed, Teresa's daughter Frederica became a key figure in the Spanish anarchist movement. She held important roles in groups like the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and Mujeres Libres. During the Spanish Civil War, Frederica was asked to join the government. She became the Minister of Health. Teresa did not agree with this, as she believed in not having a government.
In late 1938, a war offensive forced Teresa and her family to leave Catalonia. They went into exile. Teresa's health had become very poor during the war. She passed away on February 5, 1939, in Perpinyà, France.
Her Ideas
Teresa Mañé supported a type of anarchism called anarcho-communism. This idea is about a society where people live in free communities and share resources. This was different from the main anarchist idea in Spain at the time, which was anarcho-syndicalism. Anarcho-syndicalism focuses on workers' unions.
Teresa and her family believed that unions were part of the capitalist system. Capitalism is an economic system where businesses are owned by private individuals. They argued that unions should not be the basis for a socialist economy. In 1923, Teresa wrote that "workers exist because there are bosses." She believed that these ideas would disappear with capitalism.
Instead of focusing on unions, Teresa Mañé supported municipalism. This idea focuses on organizing society at a local, community level. She believed in the idea of a "free municipality," where local communities manage themselves. During the Spanish Revolution of 1936, her focus on community organizing helped advance women's rights.
Views on Women's Rights
Teresa Mañé was also a strong supporter of feminism. Feminism is the belief in equal rights for women. Along with Teresa Claramunt, she helped create anarchist feminism. This idea aimed for greater gender equality.
In October 1923, Teresa wrote an article called Hablemos de la mujer (Let's talk about women). In it, she said that men might like the idea of women being free, but they might not like it when women actually act on that freedom. She also believed that women themselves were responsible for achieving gender equality. They needed to show through their actions that they could think, create ideas, and work towards goals.
Her Writings
Teresa Mañé wrote many essays and translated important works. She also helped publish several magazines and newspapers.
Essays
- El laicismo no es ateo (1888)
- El amor libre (1889)
- Dos Cartas (with Joan Montseny), (1891)
- Las Preocupaciones de los Despreocupados (with Joan Montseny) (1891)
- A las Proletarias (1896)
- El anarquismo y la mujer (1900)
- Concepto de la anarquía (1902)
- Las diosas de la vida (1910)
- Sindicalismo y Anarquía (1933)
- Política y Sociología (1933)
Translations
- The Conquest of Bread (Peter Kropotkin)
- The Future Society (Peter Kropotkin)
Periodicals
- La Revista Blanca (1898–1905; 1925–1936)
- Tierra y Libertad (1899–1904)
- El Luchador (1931)
- El Mundo al Día (1935–1936)
Collections
- La Novela Ideal (1925–1938)
- La Novela Libre (1933–1938)
Conferences
- La sociedad futura (Agrupación republicana Germinal, Madrid, 1899)
- La cuestión social (Ateneo de Madrid, 1902)
See also
In Spanish: Teresa Mañé Miravet para niños
