Women, Sainthood, and Power : A Feminist Psychology of Cultural Constructions

"In Women, Sainthood, and Power, Oliva M. Espín examines the life stories of several female saints within their respective cultural and historical contexts from the perspective of feminist psychology and gender politics in the Catholic church"-- La Fabbrica dei Santi : how politics and culture determine who is a saint -- Political Saints and Saintly Politics : Joan of Arc and Catherine of Siena -- "Holy Anorexics": God, agency, women's bodies, and self-starvation in early colonial Spanish-America : Rose of Lima and Mariana of Quito -- Las Santas Criollas : Rose de Lima, Mariana de Quito, and national identity in colonial Spanish-America -- Teresa of Avila : the love of God as source of authority -- Edith Stein : paradoxes of a Jewish saint -- Mystics of political resistance : Theresa of Avila's and Edith Stein's visions of womanhood -- Pain, loss, and psychological distress in Thérèse of Lisieux : the "Little Flower" who wanted to be a priest -- Doctors but not priests : women doctors in the Roman Catholic Church : Teresa, Catherine, Therese, and Hildegard -- North American saints : Cabrini, Seton, Drexel, Tekakwitha but no black American saints. Women, Sainthood, and Power explores the life stories of an international gallery of female saints from the wide-angle lens of several intellectual disciplines and the close-up view afforded by keenly observed fine points of character. Oliva M. Espín combines multidisciplinary scholarly research with a novelist's eye for detail to create vivid portraits of saints in their times and places. Using her own memories, Espín argues that there are lessons to learn today from the lives of these exceptional women. This book is recommended for scholars and students of psychology, religious studies, gender and women's studies, history, cultural studies, and ethnic studies. "In Women, Sainthood, and Power, Oliva M. Espín examines the life stories of several female saints within their respective cultural and historical contexts from the perspective of feminist psychology and gender politics in the Catholic church"-- Provided by publisher In Women, Sainthood, and Power, Oliva M. Espin examines the life stories of several female saints within their respective cultural and historical contexts from the perspective of feminist psychology and gender politics in the Catholic church.