The Backbones of the Movement:
Stories of Women in the Antigonish Movement for present and future community action
As StFX Extension workers and community leaders, women were crucial to the organization and development of study clubs and cooperatives of the Antigonish Movement in its early years and beyond. As noted by Sister Irene Doyle (Anselm) “Women were really the backbone of the Antigonish Movement”. Their actions responded to the issues facing their communities – poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, the cost of living and more. Issues relevant today. Join us as we learn about these key community leaders determined to create change for themselves and their neighbours.
This presentation featured the What Can the Women Do research work of Dr. Robin Neustaeter (StFX Adult Education) and Sophie Gallant (StFX Public Policy and Governance) and their quest to find the stories of women in the Antigonish and Cooperative Movements in archives and oral histories.
Follow them on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatCantheWomenDo
And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatcanthewomendo/
Special thank to Addison Jutras, Social Justice Radio, StFX for this recording.
Recorded March 4, 2025
Further Exploration
S. Dodaro and L. Pluta (2012) The Big Picture: The Antigonish Movement of Eastern Nova Scotia. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 407 pp.
MacIntosh, P., & Mahon, P. (2001). Women Working Together and Making a Difference: A story of women’s participation and leadership in enhancing local fisheries. Centre for Community-Based Management, StFX Extension Department.
Alexander, A. (1997). The Antigonish Movement Moses Coady and Adult Education Today. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc.
Masters of their own destiny website: http://coady.stfx.ca/collection/ (the site about the women leaders here is good yet only focuses on a few of the women staff)
The Antigonish Movement (East Coast Credit Union Youtube) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlJHyWZbTFNE1lGc81wOtyI2LlPBzaEuT
You can Do it video is a dvd series, https://coady.stfx.ca/you-can-do-it-the-story-of-the-antigonish-movement/
National Film Board: Moses Coady (1976): https://www.nfb.ca/film/moses_coady/
National Film Board: Maritime Montage (1955): half the show features the Antigonish Movement with an interviews with fishermen and Moses Coady https://www.nfb.ca/film/maritime-montage-215908/
Coady, M. (1939). Masters of their own destiny (the book) https://coady.stfx.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Masters-of-their-own-Destiny.pdf
The Extension Bulletins are online! https://stfx.scholaris.ca/search?spc.page=1&query=extension%20bulletin
The Lord Helps Those Who Help Each Other – 1938 Silent Film about Extension and the Antigonish Movement
https://stfx.scholaris.ca/items/a713e873-1c86-4c46-b2c1-dc997e42942f