Unequal partners : in search of transnational Catholic sisterhood

When we think of Catholicism, we think of Europe and the United States as the seats of its power. But while much of Catholicism remains headquartered in the West, the Church’s center of gravity has shifted to Africa, Latin America, and developing Asia. Focused on the transnational Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, __Unequal Partners__ explores the ways gender, race, economic inequality, and colonial history play out in religious organizations, revealing how their members are constantly negotiating and reworking the frameworks within which they operate. Taking us from Belgium and the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sociologist Casey Clevenger offers rare insight into how the sisters of this order work across national boundaries, shedding light on the complex relationships among individuals, social groups, and formal organizations. Throughout, Clevenger skillfully weaves the sisters’ own voices into her narrative, helping us understand how the order has remained whole over time. A thoughtful analysis of the ties that bind—and divide—the sisters, __Unequal Partners__ is a rich look at transnationalism’s ongoing impact on Catholicism. "Unequal Partners is a portrait of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur that takes readers between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States, and Belgium, illuminating how the nexus of gender, race, economic inequality, and colonial history plays out in transnational religious organizations. While much current scholarship on Catholic sisters focuses on the decline in numbers in the West, sociologist Casey Clevenger casts her gaze on the Global South, where female Catholic orders remain vital. While the numbers of sisters in the old centers of Catholic power are declining, most of their religious orders are still headquartered in Europe or the United States, embedded in a colonial past that influences how the orders operate in the Global South. Attuned to this long history, Clevenger skillfully places the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in their global and historical context, revealing the ways access to knowledge, power, resources, and the politics of development lie at the heart of this and any partnership between groups of people in the Global North and Global South. Bringing the sisters' voices to the fore, Clevenger leads us to an understanding of how this transnational organization has persisted over time as a coherent whole, avoiding the splintering that is an all-too-common fate for religious groups and weathering the tide of a changing world"-- Provided by publisher When we think of Catholicism, we think of Europe and the United States as the seats of its power. But while much of Catholicism remains headquartered in the West, the Church's center of gravity has shifted to Africa, Latin America, and developing Asia. Focused on the transnational Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Unequal Partners explores the ways gender, race, economic inequality, and colonial history play out in religious organizations, revealing how their members are constantly negotiating and reworking the frameworks within which they operate. Taking us from Belgium and the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sociologist Casey Clevenger offers rare insight into how the sisters of this order work across national boundaries, shedding light on the complex relationships among individuals, social groups, and formal organizations. Throughout, Clevenger skillfully weaves the sisters' own voices into her narrative, helping us understand how the order has remained whole over time. A thoughtful analysis of the ties that bind - and divide - the sisters, Unequal Partners is a rich look at transnationalism's ongoing impact on Catholicism