Clara Ragaz (30 March 1874 – 7 October 1957) was one of the most noted Swiss feminist

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

s of the first half of the twentieth century. She was a founder of the Swiss Federation of Abstinent Women, an organization that supported the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

in Switzerland. She served as the co-International chair of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) from 1929 to 1946.

Early life

Clara Nadig was born on 30 March 1874 in Chur, in the

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

to Christina (née Plattner) and Johann Josua Nadig. She studied to be a teacher, completing her training in 1892 at the

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the dis ...

Career

Nadig first taught in England and France before returning to Switzerland. She taught in a Sunday school and became involved in missionary work, which is how in 1893 she met the social activist

Leonhard Ragaz Leonhard Ragaz (1868–1945) was a Swiss people, Swiss Reformed tradition, Reformed theologian and, with Hermann Kutter, one of the founders of religious socialism in Switzerland. He was influenced by Christoph Blumhardt. He was married to the fem ...

, whom she married in 1901. She took a teaching position in the Engadin valley, while her husband served as the chief Protestant cleric of Chur between 1902 and 1906. In 1902, she was one of the founders of the Swiss Federation of Abstinent Women (german: Schweiz Bundes abstinenter Frauen), an arm of the international

in Switzerland. In 1907, she joined the feminist organization Union for the Advancement of Women (german: Union für Frauenbestrebungen), when the couple were in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

and her husband served as a pastor for the Basel Minster. In 1908, they moved to

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, where Ragaz continued teaching and her husband was engaged as a professor of theology at the University of Zurich. In Zürich Ragaz joined the buyer's collective known as the Social Buyer's League (german: Sozialen Käuferliga), which aimed at improving the situation of workers through conscious buying methods of consumers, and remained a part of the group until 1915. Together with

Emma Pieczynska-Reichenbach Emma Pieczynska-Reichenbach (19 April 1854 – 10 February 1927) was a Swiss abolitionist and feminist born in Paris, France. She was orphaned at 5 years old, and grew up with foster families in Geneva and Neuchâtel. When she was old enough, s ...

she worked towards improving the minimum wage of female workers, shorter working hours, and better working conditions. In 1909, Ragaz served as the director of the Swiss Home Works Exhibition (german: Schweiz Heimarbeitsausstellung), which featured spinning, straw works, cobbling and other handcrafted items created by women, but also discussed the problems of working women, unsanitary conditions and child labor practices. In 1913, she joined the Socialist Party of Switzerland and along with her husband practiced

religious socialism Religious socialism is a type of socialism based on religious values. Members of several major religions have found that their beliefs about human society fit with socialist principles and ideas. As a result, religious socialist movements have d ...

, believing that Christian faith required a social conscience that focused on helping working-class people. In 1915, Ragaz co-founded the Committee for a Lasting Peace (German: ''Komitee für einen dauernden Frieden'') and would serve as its president until 1946. That same year, she published ''Women in Peace'' from a talk she had given. In 1919 she played a key role in bringing the Congress of Zurich to the city, which led to the foundation of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The meeting followed on from the 1915 Hague Congress of Women, held by feminist internationalist women seeking to end World War 1. Ragaz was the opening speaker for the Congress of Zurich, alongside renowned feminist

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage ...

. She continued to work with the international WILPF in Geneva. In 1921, she published a translation of ''Tagore as Educator'' by

. That same year, her husband quit his university job and the couple moved to the

Aussersihl Aussersihl is a district in the Swiss city of Zürich. Known officially as District number 4, the district is known as colloquially ''Chreis Cheib'', ''cheib'' being the Zürich German word for an animal cadaver. It earned the name as the area hi ...

district to live among the workers there. They were committed to the social welfare of the working class and Ragaz began giving lectures at the Social School for Women (german: Sozialen Frauenschule). Ragaz translated the work ''Religious Foundations of the Social Gospel'' by Walter Rauschenbusch, one of his most influential books, into German in 1922. In 1929, Ragaz succeeded

as one of the co-International Chairs of the WILPF. Because of the volume of work to be done, it was decided that the responsibilities Addams had carried were to be shared with

Gertrud Baer Gertrud Baer (1890–1981) was a German Jewish women's rights and peace activist. One of the founding members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, she served as the executive secretary of the German branch of WILPF beginning ...

and

Emily Greene Balch Emily Greene Balch (January 8, 1867 – January 9, 1961) was an American economist, sociologist and pacifist. Balch combined an academic career at Wellesley College with a long-standing interest in social issues such as poverty, child labor, a ...

. That same year, she was appointed as the vice president of the boarding school at the Social School for Women and served in that capacity until 1946. Ragaz, Baer, and Balch, who was later replaced by Kathleen Innes steered the WILPF during the difficult war years, when defending borders and simultaneously advocating an anti-war stance often were at odds. Both she and her husband resigned from the socialist party in 1935 over the stance of national defense. She remained active in the pacifist movement until the war ended.

Death and legacy

Ragaz died on 7 October 1957 in Zurich. In 2015, a lecture series honoring her pacifist work was presented by the Association of Eastern Swiss Women in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

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