Concepción Arenal

In Madrid, we learned about a woman named Concepción Arenal. She was a pioneer of the feminist movement in Spain and as well as a writer, journalist and poet. She was the first woman in Spain to go to law school, however she had to do that disguised as a man. She also dressed as a man to attend various literary talks in order to participate. When reading about her on the Real Academia de la Historia’s website, I also learned she was from a region in Spain called Galicia which is an area just north of Portugal. She was very influential in the cities/towns there as well as in Madrid. That stood out to me because my dad served his mission in that area and I was able to go there last year. I think that fact helped me to connect to her even more. That area of Spain has smaller cities and probably really benefited from her push for reform.

 

Concepción Arenal not only helped to move forward the women’s movement but also worked to reform the treatment of prisoners and prisoners’ rights. Arenal's emphasis on the better treatment of prisoners and the poor was revolutionary for her time. Her work helped social work and prison systems to focus on helping to change and improve prisoners rather than just punish them. Her work for women's education and rights contributed to the improvement of women's status in Spanish society. 

 

Concepción Arenal is commemorated with a monument at the Parque del Oeste, which is kind of on the outskirts of Madrid. It’s unfortunate that her statue couldn’t be closer to the center of the city where more people could visit it. But I think the statue of her is very fitting. It depicts her holding a book and wearing a robe like a judge or someone in law would wear. The inscription at the base of the statue says “The concepción arenal. amó la ciencia. consoló el dolor" which translates to, “Concepción Arenal. She loved science. She comforted pain.” I thought that was beautiful. It represents her work for women, prisoners and the law.