Corresponding Anarchists: Spaniards in the Transnational Network, 1890-1925

• In Event: The Latin Red in Yanquilandia: Transnational Networks of Spanish and Latin American Anarchists in the United States

Abstract

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Spanish-speaking anarchists established a transnational network that connected like-minded compañeros and communities in Madrid, Barcelona, Havana, Tampa, New York and many other locales. This paper will examine the work of several Spanish-born anarchists, including Pedro Esteve, Luis Barcia, and Jaime Vidal among others, and the manner in which they established and maintained this network. In particular, this paper will focus on the anarcho-syndicalist organizations that comprised this interconnected anarchist system in the form of the periódico anarquista as well as a variety of círculos and exclusively Spanish-speaking labor grupos that propagated anarchist ideals, financially supported victims of the Spanish government's oppression and distributed funds to striking workers. This paper will explain that while the anarchist press itself was vitally important in maintaining communication among various anarchist enclaves, it was the individual members of the groups and circles within those communities that defined the character and quality of the network.

Author

• Chris J Castaneda, CSU, Sacramento