Disorderly Women
Book Description
In the fervent religious landscape of colonial New England, women once stood at the heart of spiritual authority, wielding remarkable influence over church governance and community decisions. Susan Juster reveals how these evangelical women participated actively in selecting ministers, disciplining wayward congregants, and shaping the very direction of their religious communities during the transformative period of the Great Awakening.
This compelling historical exploration traces a profound shift in spiritual and social dynamics. As revival movements swept through eighteenth-century America, the passionate, emotional nature of evangelical religion was often viewed as inherently feminine, creating space for women to claim unprecedented religious authority. Yet following the Revolutionary War, these same women found themselves systematically excluded from both ecclesiastical and political power.
Through careful examination of personal conversion narratives, theological debates, and community controversies, Juster illuminates how changing concepts of gender roles fundamentally reshaped American religious life. The book reveals how spiritual individualism sometimes challenged conventional social boundaries, with critics warning that revival fervor threatened to disrupt traditional family structures and community order.
For readers interested in understanding how gender, spirituality, and social change intersect, this work offers valuable insights into a pivotal moment when religious awakening both empowered and constrained women's spiritual expression. Juster's research demonstrates how the perceived femininity of emotional religious experience ultimately contributed to women's marginalization in American spiritual and political life.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)
📄 Length: 224 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Evangelischen
- ✓ Explore New england, politics and government
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects of Sex role
- ✓ Explore Geschlechterrolle
- ✓ Explore New england, history, colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
- ✓ Explore Sex role
- ✓ Explore Women, united states, history
- ✓ Explore Evangelicalism
