Colette Reynaud (1872–1965) was a French feminist, socialist and pacifist journalist. In 1917, she was the co-founder and director of the weekly newspaper '' La Voix des femmes'' (Women's voice).

Career

Together with Louise Bodin, Reynaud founded the newspaper ''La Voix des femmes'' on October 31, 1917, to promote women's right to vote. Reynaud managed the newspaper while Bodin assumed the role of editor-in-chief, attracting the participation of celebrities such as Séverine, Madeleine Pelletier, Hélène Brion, Henri Barbusse, and Marcel Cachin. The newspaper was launched in the middle of the World War I in a context of repression, symbolized in November 1917 by the arrest of the teacher Hélène Brion, accused of

defeatist Defeatism is the acceptance of defeat without struggle, often with negative connotations. It can be linked to pessimism in psychology, and may sometimes be used synonymously with fatalism or determinism. History The term ''defeatism'' is commonly ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

. From December 1, 1922, Reynaud attempted to publish the newspaper on a daily basis, with Noëlie Drous as editor-in-chief, but quickly gave up such frequency. It continued to appear until 1937. In 1930, Marguerite Durand referred to Reynaud as one of the "remarkable professionals" of women's journalism of her day, noting that she kept more to a management than to an editorial role.Durand, Marguerite and Magnin, Michèle C., "Les Femmes dans le journalisme" (1930). ''Tome 3''. 4. https://digital.sandiego.edu/durand-tome3/4 The historian of socialism, Julien Chuzeville, thought that Reynaud was probably a member of the

French Section of the Workers' International The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...

(SFIO) when she joined the committee of the Third Communist International, adding that she undoubtedly was a member of the French Communist Party when it split in 1920. In October 1920, Reynaud also joined the Action Committee for the release of imprisoned militants, notably Fernand Loriot,

Boris Souvarine Boris Souvarine (1 November 1895 – 1 November 1984), also known as Varine, was a French Marxist, communist activist, essayist and journalist. A founding member of the French Communist Party, Souvarine is noted for being the only non-Russian com ...

, and Pierre Monatte. After the war, Reynaud became a member of the committee of the French branch of the Women's League Against War, then served as secretary of the (People's Union for Universal Peace). In 1926, she co-founded the (Women's Action League) to push for the immediate acceptance of women's suffrage under the leadership of

Marthe Bray Martha Bray or Martha Bray-Smeets (1884 – 1949) was a French suffragist who formed the Ligue d'action féminine to influence French opinion in favour of recognising women's right to vote. Life Bray was born in 1884. She was an admirer of the ...

Personal life

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Reynaud was a member of the lodge Le Droit Humain, and of the fraternal association of journalists, where she associated with

Camille Chautemps Camille Chautemps (1 February 1885 – 1 July 1963) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). He was the father-in-law of U.S. politician and statesman Howard J. ...

, Marcel Huart, Aristide Quillet, and

Alexandre Varenne Alexandre Varenne (3 October 1870 in Clermont-Ferrand – 16 February 1947 in Paris) was a French politician and journalist, best remembered as the founder of the newspaper '' La Montagne''. He was the Governor-General of French Indochina from ...

. Married to a doctor, Reynaud was the mother of two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynaud, Colette 1872 births 1965 deaths 20th-century newspaper founders 20th-century French journalists French feminist writers French socialist feminists French pacifists French newspaper founders French Freemasons French suffragists