Journal of Co-operative Studies, 59(1), 7-19 | UK Society for Co-operative Studies

_{Open access}

_{Peer reviewed article}

_{Published online: July 2026}

“What can the women do?” Women in the Antigonish Movement (1930s – 1950s) in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada

Robin Neustaeter

^{St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada}

_{Vol 59 No 1, 7-19}

^{DOI: https://doi.org/10.61869/ETRP2199}

Abstract

The Antigonish Movement combined popular adult education and economic development via co-operatives in rural northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada, starting in the early 1900s. The movement grew out of the dire economic and political conditions, including intergenerational poverty, significant out-migration, and citizen apathy. While the success of the movement required women’s involvement, women have largely been minimised in the written history of this movement. Building from the feminist archival case study What Can the Women Do? this article highlights the key roles, volunteer and paid, that women held in the Antigonish Movement, the gendered nature of the movement, and the importance of recognising the complexities of building ‘a full and abundant life for all’.

^{How to cite this article: Neustaeter, R. (2026). “What can the women do?” Women in the Antigonish Movement (1930s – 1950s) in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. Journal of Co-operative Studies, 59(1), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.61869/ETRP2199}

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