Between militancy and silence: Idealization and the absence of the feminine in the anarchism of Encino del Val (1920 – 1939)

Abstract

This article examines representations of the feminine in anarchism in Perú through the case of Encino del Val (1891-1939), an anarchist militant active in Apurímac between 1920 and 1939. Using a gender-based approach, it analyzes three dimensions: the figure’s public trajectory, the silence surrounding his wife Evangelina Moscoso, and the symbolic construction of women in his poetic texts. It argues that the absence of real women in Encino del Val’s work does not constitute an individual contradiction but rather reflects a tension within anarchist discourse; while ideals of universal equality were proclaimed, specific forms of idealization and silencing of the feminine were also produced. In this way, the article proposes that examining these absences helps illuminate the ambiguities of the libertarian project.