The communist cult of the female leader. Eugénie Cotton (1881-1967), “World Mother”
Citation:
Efthymiou L. The communist cult of the female leader. Eugénie Cotton (1881-1967), “World Mother”. Clio. Women, Gender, History [Internet]. 2023;(57):161-172.
This article considers the rituals and ceremonies celebrating the French pro-communist activist, Eugénie Cotton, president of the Union des Femmes françaises (UFF – Union of French Women) and of the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF), and the way Cotton was elevated to the rank of universal authority, exemplifying virtues not unrelated to the model of the Virgin Mary. This exploration of the enactment of the female version of the cult of the leader in the communist world during the Cold War contrasts with the masculine focus of the substantial historiographical production of the last twenty years on this topic. The paper examines the circumstances that gave birth to the “Cotton cult,” the key moments in its evolution, the mechanisms of its diffusion, and the gender shifts in the process of its invention.
Department of French Language and Literature National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Panepistimiopolis Zografou 157 84, Ilissia Athens Greece (+30) 2107277393 leythim@frl.uoa.gr
