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The Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Superiors, and the Paradox of Power, 1693-1796 |
eBook Available
An imaginative exploration of power and the public and private lives of Congrégation superiors.
Nuns have often been portrayed as nascent feminists wielding an exceptional amount of power. In this formative study of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame - a religious community of uncloistered women established in Montreal in 1657 - Colleen Gray presents a more nuanced view of the foundations and exercise of power within the convent.
Gray focuses on the social, administrative, political, and spiritual dimensions of the lives of three Congrégation superiors - Marie Barbier, Marie-Josèphe Maugue-Garreau, and Marie Raizenne. By exploring the implications of the hierarchies of power within the convent and providing a thorough analysis of the convent's relationship with the social, religious, and governmental structures that surrounded it - taking into account both medieval and Catholic Reformation Europe and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Canada - Gray reveals the paradoxes inherent in the position of a female superior within the male-dominated sphere of both the church and the larger secular community.
The Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Superiors, and the Paradox of Power, 1693-1796 not only reconstructs a vanished world but also provides great insight into the organization of institutional structures and the complex aspects of power within them.
Gray focuses on the social, administrative, political, and spiritual dimensions of the lives of three Congrégation superiors - Marie Barbier, Marie-Josèphe Maugue-Garreau, and Marie Raizenne. By exploring the implications of the hierarchies of power within the convent and providing a thorough analysis of the convent's relationship with the social, religious, and governmental structures that surrounded it - taking into account both medieval and Catholic Reformation Europe and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Canada - Gray reveals the paradoxes inherent in the position of a female superior within the male-dominated sphere of both the church and the larger secular community.
The Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Superiors, and the Paradox of Power, 1693-1796 not only reconstructs a vanished world but also provides great insight into the organization of institutional structures and the complex aspects of power within them.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion Series (number 2.48 in series)
272 Pages, 6 x 9
13 b&w photographs 13 tables 7 maps
ISBN 9780773532847
August 2008
Formats: Paperback, Cloth, eBook
"This well researched book contributes to women's religious history by introducing new materials, using current feminist analysis of power relations, and focusing on a century that has been somewhat neglected." Rosa Bruno-Jofré, dean, Faculty of Education, Queen's University
"Readers are easily and quickly drawn into the drama that unfolds about places we are familiar with or heard mention of in Quebec's history books. Gray skillfully provides a picture of what life was like in the shoes of three mother superiors." Barbara Lavoie in Que Heritage news
"While historians will continue to tally the measured liberties of early Canadian convents, Gray shows us how to factor spirituality into the equation. This is essential reading on the subject, integrating the complexities of convent life better than any study has yet done." Canadian Historical Review
"Readers are easily and quickly drawn into the drama that unfolds about places we are familiar with or heard mention of in Quebec's history books. Gray skillfully provides a picture of what life was like in the shoes of three mother superiors." Barbara Lavoie in Que Heritage news
"While historians will continue to tally the measured liberties of early Canadian convents, Gray shows us how to factor spirituality into the equation. This is essential reading on the subject, integrating the complexities of convent life better than any study has yet done." Canadian Historical Review
Colleen Gray is adjunct professor, Canadian history, Queen's University.
The Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Superiors, and the Paradox of Power, 1693-1796
Colleen Gray
Table of Contents
and Maps xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 3
PART ONE THE INSTITUTION
1 The Private World 17
2 The Spiritual Mission in the Public World 29
3 The Economic Mission in the Public World 46
PART TWO THE SUPERIORS
4 Becoming a Superior 69
5“La pesante charge” 85
6 As a Bird Flies 127
Conclusion 140
APPENDICES
A Congrégation de Notre-Dame Professed Nuns, 1693-1796 145
B Congrégation de Notre-Dame Superiors, 1693-1796 173
Notes 177
Bibliography 223
Index 241
Colleen Gray
Table of Contents
and Maps xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 3
PART ONE THE INSTITUTION
1 The Private World 17
2 The Spiritual Mission in the Public World 29
3 The Economic Mission in the Public World 46
PART TWO THE SUPERIORS
4 Becoming a Superior 69
5“La pesante charge” 85
6 As a Bird Flies 127
Conclusion 140
APPENDICES
A Congrégation de Notre-Dame Professed Nuns, 1693-1796 145
B Congrégation de Notre-Dame Superiors, 1693-1796 173
Notes 177
Bibliography 223
Index 241
9780228008903
$75.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773532274
$125.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773530980
$37.95 CAD
Paperback
9780773516007
$125.00 CAD
Cloth
