Catholic Women Religious and Women's History: A Survey of the Literature

Abstract

scene since the eighteenth century, the story of their life and work remains largely untold. In particular, we know little of their history in relation to that of women in general or to the cycles of feminist thinking and action. On first thought, one might suspect that few such connections existed. Catholic sisters of the nineteenth and much of the twentieth centuries lived in relative seclusion from society at large, their lives centering in the institutions they staffed and managed. In addition, the women's movement until recent times was almost exclusively Protestant and middle-class. Nevertheless significant opportunities exist for serious researchers in this untouched area of social history. This essay will evaluate the existing literature on the history of Catholic nuns, identify bibliographical aids, and indicate the archival and other sources available for investigation of the history of women religious. First I will survey scholarly works on American religious history in general, histories of individual congregations and biographies of their foundresses, and unpublished dissertations on the role of sisters. Second, I will comment on materials available for study of the relationship of Catholic sisters and their congregations to the women's movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In conclusion I will offer some recommendations for future study.