Marisabidillas: 100 Years of the Lyceum Club and Women's Solidarity

• To mark the centenary of the Lyceum Club of Madrid, Rocío González Naranjo has released a new book, Marisabidillas, frívolas y peligrosas (Wiseacres, Frivolous and Dangerous).
• The club, which hosted roughly 500 members between 1926 and 1936, serves as a pioneering model for female association in Spain and a hub for political and social action.

Key Figures and Activities

• Prominent members included figures such as Clara Campoamor, Victoria Kent, Zenobia Camprubí, and María de Maeztu.
• In its decade of operation, the club held nearly 600 events, ranging from arts and education to social initiatives like childcare, braille libraries, and animal welfare.
• The book reclaims the club from the historical narrative that it was merely a social space for leisure, highlighting its role as a platform for feminist struggle, including anti-violence advocacy.

Historical Significance

• The club provided a secure network for women who defied social norms, including LGBTQ+ women, divorcees, and single mothers, allowing them to build independent lives.
• The author highlights that when the club was evicted from its first site in 1931, it successfully maintained its operations in a new location, demonstrating that the agency of the group was not dependent on a physical building.
• Beyond focusing on famous individual members, the research emphasizes the heterogeneity of the group and their ability to work together across ideological and religious lines for a shared goal of emancipation.