Irish Nuns and Education in the Anglophone World: A Transnational History (Global Histories of Education)

This book charts the history of how Irish-born nuns became involved in education in the Anglophone world. It presents a heretofore undocumented study of how these women left Ireland to establish convent schools and colleges for women around the globe. It challenges the dominant narrative that suggests that Irish teaching Sisters, also commonly called nuns, were part of the colonial project, and shows how they developed their own powerful transnational networks. Though they played a role in the education of the ‘daughters of the Empire’, they retained strong bonds with Ireland, reproducing their own Irish education in many parts of the Anglophone world. Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Entering Convents: Irish Women, Kinship Networks and Recruitment to Religious Life in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Women Responding to a National Need: Early Foundresses Family Networks in Convents The Influence of ‘Questing’ The Influence of Schooling Chapter 2: Preparing for Religious Life: The Training of Aspirants, Postulants and Novices in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Informal Preparation Formal Preparation Aspirancies Postulancy and Novitiate Profession Chapter 3: Outward Bound: Irish Women Religious and Their Journeys to Overseas Foundations in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Context Invitations Out Selecting the Group Planning the Voyage The Voyage Out Chapter 4: Founding and Teaching: Education Provision by Irish Nuns in the Nineteenth-Century Anglophone World Founding Narratives Arriving Teaching Chapter 5: Expanding the Reach of Irish Nuns in Education: Convents, Schools and Academies in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries The Experience of Expansion: Convent Schooling in the Towns and on the Frontier Popular Education: The Demands of Catholic Prelates and Parishes Getting Started: Parochial Schools Provision for Parents Who Could Pay: Academies, Boarding Schools and Day Schools Chapter 6: Conclusion: The Need for Transnational Histories of Women Religious Appendix A: Schools and Convents of Mercy Founded by Frances Warde, 1837–1883 Appendix B: Early Irish-Born Religious with M Philippine Duchesne in America Appendix C: Irish-Born Members of Loreto/IBVM in India, 1841–1930 Appendix D: Irish-Born Members of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in North America, 1847–1930 Appendix E: Second-Generation Irish Members of Loreto/IBVM in North America, 1847–1930 Appendix F: Irish-Born Members of the PBVM Sisters, San Francisco, 1854–1930 Appendix G: Irish Nuns in Australia, 1838–1918 Appendix H: Irish Brigidines in NSW Australia (1872–1930) Glossary Bibliography Manuscript Material Official Publications Books, Chapters, Articles Websites Index