Nelly Thüring : Teosof, feminist, socialist

Abstract

”All I have strived for during this school day – that an earthly life amounts to – has been to do my utmost to promote the realization of human brotherhood on our little Earth.” This is how Nelly Thüring (1875–1972), at the age of 94, summarized her philosophy of life in an interview with Morgonbris, a journal published by the Swedish Social Democratic Women’s Federation. During the 1920s, she had helped organizing local chapters of the recently founded Women’s Federation as a touring speaker. In 1922, she became one of the first female members of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen). By tracing Thüring’s path to Parliament, this biography contributes new knowledge about how Social Democratic women campaigned for female suffrage and better living conditions. Nelly Thüring was also active in the Theosophical movement, an esoteric movement whose members were guided by a utopian vision: to realize the Universal Brotherhood. When she ran for municipal council in Gothenburg in the 1910s, she described the movements for socialism, peace, feminism, temperance and vegetarianism as branches of the same tree. The early 20th century esoteric movements are probably best known for having inspired cultural figures such as Hilma af Klint. However, this book shows that Thüring – among many others – applied her theosophical worldview to social and political issues.