Saving oneself by caring for others? The case of the nurse Julia Lahaye (1886-1978)

Abstract

Julia Lahaye (1886-1978), a Belgian nurse who worked for the Barcelona Red Cross during the Spanish Civil War, was considered by peers and patients as one of the most outstanding figures of local society for her sense of sacrifice, her spirit of organization, and her humanitarian work. But that is only one part of her life story. In 1921, Lahaye had been convicted in absentia of spying for the German Reich during World War I and fled to Spain. Her story illustrates the complexity of human character and makes us ponder the question of whether humanitarian action can be motivated by repentance and the desire to atone for the crimes of the past. It also helps to deconstruct gender stereotypes of women nurses who have been traditionally depicted as “angels of mercy” and to rethink how the experiences of care receivers can shape the identity of caregivers.