The leadership and legacy of a female communist resistance fighter in Paris: Danielle Casanova (1909-1943)

Abstract

Danielle Casanova (1909-1943) was a leading activist in the French communist movement throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. This article considers her identity as a communist woman and how this informed her action as an anti-fascist, in order to explore when and how she has been commemorated. Her particular action as a resister during the Second World War was determined by both her commitment to communist ideology and her gender. Her identity markers have impacted upon when and how she has been commemorated both within and outside of the communist movement. Her story was widely shared by the party because she was a communist, but the way in which her legacy was shaped and where and how she was commemorated was dependent upon her identity as a woman. In commemorations outside of the movement, Casanova's identity as a woman has been used to avoid her identification as a communist. A consideration of the legacy of her actions beyond her identity markers helps us to gain a deeper understanding of resistance in France during the Second World War. This approach focuses on the private legacy of Casanova and the strength this can give to her past and future public commemorations.