A reexamination of the lives, exchanges and everyday experiences of radical religious women, 1500-1800
This one-day interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together scholars of all levels whose research touches upon thdomestic scenee everyday lives and networks of dissident women in early modern England, America and Europe. Traditional histories of sectarian and non-conformist women in the early modern period have attested to the prominent role women had in the spread of religious sectarianism and the survival of individual movements such as the Methodists, Baptists, Quakers and Catholic recusants. However, very little has been discussed about the non-religious elements of these women’s lives and experiences and how their religious affiliation affected their position as wives and mothers and as members of communities. Through a comparative framework, the conference aims to draw out key debates in the study of women and radical religion and seeks to explore the less familiar aspects of their lives as religious dissidents in the period 1500-1800.
Keynote Speaker :Professor Karin Wulf, William and Mary College, Virginia, USA.
Topics and questions could include, but are not limited to :
The relationship between gender and religious dissent.
The supportive role of women in religious radicalism and dissident activities.
A comparison of women within different sectarian groups.
The sources that can be utilised to access less well-known women and the more « ordinary » aspects of their lives.
The relationship between religion and identity.
The role and complexities of domestic piety.
Dissident women’s networks.
The potential challenges of studying the « everyday« , rather than the »extraordinary » aspects of dissident women’s lives.
The forms of communication that facilitated dissident women’s networks.
Or, any paper that seeks to rethink the position of dissident women’s lives or touches upon an intellectual theory related to the theme of this conference.
Please submit a 250 word abstract and brief biography for a 20 minute paper by 10th January 2013 to Naomi Wood.
If you would like to attend this event as a member of the audience, please also contact the event organiser.