Year of Graduation
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Major
Gender & Women’s Studies
Directing Professor
Dr. LeeRay Costa
Abstract
The objective of this thesis is to recognize the critical work being done by the women in two Sister-led organizations, Talitha Kum, and Network. Throughout this thesis, I make note of how the actions of these groups of nuns align with several values attributed to spiritual activism. Simultaneously, I discuss the complications that arise from doing social justice work within the confines of an institution that has perpetuated settler colonialism and white supremacy. My analysis is grounded in three theoretical frameworks; spiritual activist theory as articulated by Gloria Anzaldúa, Indigenous Feminism(s), and Womanism. In reference to the nuns' status as both activists and committed Catholics, I explicitly call upon Anzaldúa’s theories of Nepantla, Nepantleras, and Nos/Otras ideology to argue that multiple truths can exist at once.
Recommended Citation
Lauletta, Emily M., "Renegotiating Liminal Spaces: Catholic Nuns as Spiritual and Feminist Activists" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Theses, Hollins University. 47.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/ughonors/47
Included in
Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Religion Commons, Social Justice Commons, Women's Studies Commons