Catholic and Feminist

The Surprising History of the American Catholic Feminist Movement

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Denominations, Catholic, Catholicism, Christian Life
Cover of the book Catholic and Feminist by Mary Joanne Henold, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Joanne Henold ISBN: 9781469606668
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: June 1, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Mary Joanne Henold
ISBN: 9781469606668
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: June 1, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In 1963, as Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique appeared and civil rights activists marched on Washington, a separate but related social movement emerged among American Catholics, says Mary Henold. Thousands of Catholic feminists--both lay women and women religious--marched, strategized, theologized, and prayed together, building sisterhood and confronting sexism in the Roman Catholic Church. In the first history of American Catholic feminism, Henold explores the movement from the 1960s through the early 1980s, showing that although Catholic feminists had much in common with their sisters in the larger American feminist movement, Catholic feminism was distinct and had not been simply imported from outside.

Catholic feminism grew from within the church, rooted in women's own experiences of Catholicism and religious practice, Henold argues. She identifies the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), an inspiring but overtly sexist event that enraged and exhilarated Catholic women in equal measure, as a catalyst of the movement within the church. Catholic feminists regularly explained their feminism in terms of their commitment to a gospel mandate for social justice, liberation, and radical equality. They considered feminism to be a Christian principle.

Yet as Catholic feminists confronted sexism in the church and the world, Henold explains, they struggled to integrate the two parts of their self-definition. Both Catholic culture and feminist culture indicated that such a conjunction was unlikely, if not impossible. Henold demonstrates that efforts to reconcile faith and feminism reveal both the complex nature of feminist consciousness and the creative potential of religious feminism.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1963, as Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique appeared and civil rights activists marched on Washington, a separate but related social movement emerged among American Catholics, says Mary Henold. Thousands of Catholic feminists--both lay women and women religious--marched, strategized, theologized, and prayed together, building sisterhood and confronting sexism in the Roman Catholic Church. In the first history of American Catholic feminism, Henold explores the movement from the 1960s through the early 1980s, showing that although Catholic feminists had much in common with their sisters in the larger American feminist movement, Catholic feminism was distinct and had not been simply imported from outside.

Catholic feminism grew from within the church, rooted in women's own experiences of Catholicism and religious practice, Henold argues. She identifies the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), an inspiring but overtly sexist event that enraged and exhilarated Catholic women in equal measure, as a catalyst of the movement within the church. Catholic feminists regularly explained their feminism in terms of their commitment to a gospel mandate for social justice, liberation, and radical equality. They considered feminism to be a Christian principle.

Yet as Catholic feminists confronted sexism in the church and the world, Henold explains, they struggled to integrate the two parts of their self-definition. Both Catholic culture and feminist culture indicated that such a conjunction was unlikely, if not impossible. Henold demonstrates that efforts to reconcile faith and feminism reveal both the complex nature of feminist consciousness and the creative potential of religious feminism.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Adventures of Molly Whuppie and Other Appalachian Folktales by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book No Higher Law by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Eating Puerto Rico by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Righteous Propagation by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Honor Thy Gods by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Decolonizing Feminisms by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Tar Heel Laughter by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Liberia, South Carolina by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Inventiones by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Chicken by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book If That Ever Happens to Me by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Lynching and Spectacle by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Dixie Highway by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys by Mary Joanne Henold
Cover of the book Richard S. Ewell by Mary Joanne Henold
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy