It's Okay, Sister, Your Wolf-Pack Is Here: Sisterhood as Public Feminism in Spain

The unprecedented success of Spanish public feminism, which culminated in the International Women's Strike of March 8, 2018, cannot be properly understood unless we consider two events that took place in the fall of 2017: the trial for the gang rape of a young woman at the San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona and the #MeToo movement. This connection suggests that rejection of sexual violence is one of the main incentives to join and support the public expressions of feminism in Spain and serves as a point of convergence for the ideals that attract attention and make visible contemporary feminism in this country. One of these ideals, already classic in Anglo-American feminism, is that of sisterhood. The appeal for solidarity among women has penetrated the movement and flourishes through social networks and public demonstrations, generating a great flow of both protest and solidarity messages such as #Sororidad (Sisterhood), #HermanaYoSiTeCreo (Sister, I believe you), #LaManadaSomosNosotras (We are the she-wolf pack), or simply #Juntas (Together). This article reviews the theoretical development of sisterhood in feminist literature looking back to the 1970s, when US women took to the streets with the rallying cry "sisterhood is powerful," and shows how the claim for sisterhood has reappeared in Spain in recent years. It offers a case study in order to rethink a concept that, while generating considerable disagreement among theoreticians, is proving highly successful in mobilizing women and gaining their support for the feminist struggle.