Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1525440511790395 |
| id |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu1525440511790395 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
oai_dc |
| spelling |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15254405117903952021-08-03T07:06:47Z Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 Wolfe, Marion A. Composition Religious History Rhetoric Womens Studies Women Rhetoric Religion Protestant Christianity Missionary Missions Missionary Societies Womens Foreign Missionary Societies Feminist Rhetorical practices Progressive Era Rhetorical positioning Feminism Feminist Rhetoric Womens Rhetoric From 1901-1938, the ecumenical Central Committee on the United Study of Foreign Missions (CCUSFM) published a series of annual textbooks intended for American Protestant women, members of local branches of women’s foreign missionary societies, to study and teach each other. The United Study texts constructed a version of women’s rights rhetoric that I refer to as modern missionary feminism. They positioned their readers as heirs to the history of Christianity, participants in contemporary political and social movements, and sisters to “heathen” women around the world who needed their help. In these ways, the United Study series created interrelated exigencies for American women, who were told that because of their privileged status as educated, modern, Western women, they were required to help other women and that the way to do so was through their support of Christian evangelism. To CCUSFM members and the authors they commissioned, the conversion of the world to Christianity, the spread of women’s rights, and modernization through Western cultural imperialism were inseparable. In particular, they believed that modern Christian women needed to act on behalf of missions in order to bring about the ideal, unified, egalitarian, and peaceful Christian utopia of the future. The contradictions inherent in their rhetoric (which utilized opposing ideas such as conservative/progressive, professional/familial, international/local, and unity/diversity) went largely uninterrogated; rather than viewing such binaries as either/or, their rhetorical positioning of modern missionary feminists allowed them to embrace multiple sides of various debates, revealing new ways in which rhetorical scholars can consider women’s and religious rhetorics. 2018-10-08 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1525440511790395 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1525440511790395 restricted--full text unavailable until 2023-08-06 This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Composition Religious History Rhetoric Womens Studies Women Rhetoric Religion Protestant Christianity Missionary Missions Missionary Societies Womens Foreign Missionary Societies Feminist Rhetorical practices Progressive Era Rhetorical positioning Feminism Feminist Rhetoric Womens Rhetoric |
| spellingShingle |
Composition Religious History Rhetoric Womens Studies Women Rhetoric Religion Protestant Christianity Missionary Missions Missionary Societies Womens Foreign Missionary Societies Feminist Rhetorical practices Progressive Era Rhetorical positioning Feminism Feminist Rhetoric Womens Rhetoric Wolfe, Marion A. Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| author |
Wolfe, Marion A. |
| author_facet |
Wolfe, Marion A. |
| author_sort |
Wolfe, Marion A. |
| title |
Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| title_short |
Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| title_full |
Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| title_fullStr |
Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Constructing Modern Missionary Feminism: American Protestant Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies and the Rhetorical Positioning of Christian Women, 1901-1938 |
| title_sort |
constructing modern missionary feminism: american protestant women’s foreign missionary societies and the rhetorical positioning of christian women, 1901-1938 |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2018 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1525440511790395 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT wolfemariona constructingmodernmissionaryfeminismamericanprotestantwomensforeignmissionarysocietiesandtherhetoricalpositioningofchristianwomen19011938 |
| _version_ |
1719454028648153088 |