The article examines some of the most prominent events that characterized the feminist movement in Padua during the 1970s, which represented one of the most significant expressions of Italian feminism, because of its ability to develop a national and international network. Until now, this case-study has not been the object of historiographical attention or of social science studies. The article does not reconstruct only the history of feminism in Padua, but examines the relationship between the feminist movement and the academic world. By doing so, it challenges previous interpretations provided by historians and social scientists. The article analyzes the efforts and the tactics put in place by some of the most important feminists coming from the Paduan movement (such as Mariarosa Dalla Costa and Franca Bimbi) in order "to strike" the university, a place which in the 1970s was still dominated by male chauvinist culture.
Keywords: Feminism, Padua, 1970s, University