Encounter in the Mission Fields

Abstract

Chapter 1 follows Catholic women religious of the Maryknoll order into the mission fields of China and reads their letters and diaries for a multi-dimensional sketch of their encounter with Chinese women. Drawn from original research in the archives of Maryknoll to present a Christian account of these encounters, it also employs techniques of postcolonial historiography (informed by Homi Bhabha) to read these entries against the grain, catching glimpses of the perspectives of Chinese women as important contributors to the Christian theological thinking which the Catholic women undertake. Drawn from original research in the Maryknoll archives, this chapter contributes to the field of mission studies as well as an early 20th century example of women in interreligious encounter.