Sisters in the Faith
264 pages, 6 x 9
23
Paperback
Release Date:25 Feb 2011
ISBN:9781558498631
Sisters in the Faith
Shaker Women and Equality of the Sexes
University of Massachusetts Press
In 1788, following the death of charismatic founder Mother Ann Lee, the celibate religious group known as the Shakers set out to institutionalize equality of the sexes in their theology, government, and daily practice. In this book, Glendyne Wergland evaluates how well they succeeded in that mission by examining the experiences of women within Shaker communities over more than a century.
Drawing on an extensive archive of primary documents, Wergland discusses topics ranging from girlhood, health, and dress to why women joined the Shakers and how they were viewed by those outside their community. She analyzes the division of labor between men and women, showing that there was considerable cooperation and reciprocity in carrying out most tasks-from food production to laundering to gathering firewood-even as gendered conflicts remained.
In her conclusion, Wergland draws together all of these threads to show that Shaker communities achieved a remarkable degree of gender equality at a time when women elsewhere still suffered under the legal and social strictures of the traditional patriarchal order. In so doing, she argues, the experience of Shaker women served as a model for promoting women's rights in American political culture.
Drawing on an extensive archive of primary documents, Wergland discusses topics ranging from girlhood, health, and dress to why women joined the Shakers and how they were viewed by those outside their community. She analyzes the division of labor between men and women, showing that there was considerable cooperation and reciprocity in carrying out most tasks-from food production to laundering to gathering firewood-even as gendered conflicts remained.
In her conclusion, Wergland draws together all of these threads to show that Shaker communities achieved a remarkable degree of gender equality at a time when women elsewhere still suffered under the legal and social strictures of the traditional patriarchal order. In so doing, she argues, the experience of Shaker women served as a model for promoting women's rights in American political culture.
Provides much-needed depth to the many studies of Shakers, and Shaker women in particular, that have painted gender roles with a broad brush. It will be impossible for readers to leave Wergland's book and make oversimplified statements about gender roles among the Shakers.'—Etta M. Madden, author of Bodies of Life: Shaker Literature and Literacies
'This work offers a major contribution to Shaker history and to the study of women's struggle for equality. . . . Wergland's perceptive analysis of Shaker egalitarianism is a helpful approach to the ongoing feminist conversation regarding gender equality. Recommended.'—Choice
'A superb addition to religious history and women's studies shelves, highly recommended.'—Midwest Book Review
'[Wergland]'s work should generate fruitful debate in the academic community.'—American Historical Review
'Sisters in Faith is an insightful look at the inner workings of Shaker community.'—History: Reviews of New Books
'A great strength of Sisters in the Faith is the author's close reading of a rich array of primary sources, most of them unpublished, to tease out the subtleties of gender relations in Shaker communities. . . . the book really shines when it plunges into the intricacies of every day Shaker life. It guides readers deep into the lived world of Believers: we can feel the uncomfortable pinch of the cap on one's head, the frustrations of a kitchen sister with a brother who cadged snacks when he should have been outdoors working, and the exuberance of girls at play on a maple sugaring outing. Ultimately, Wergland makes a strong case for the many ways, both subtle and direct, that Shaker women exercised authority in their communities.'—Church History
'Neophytes like me will find fascinating the window into Shaker life that Dr. Wergland, an independent scholar, provides, especially through extensive use of first-hand accounts by both Shakers and those who interacted with them. This includes countless journals of Shaker women and girls, whose life and role within the Shaker movement provide the obvious and wonderfully informative focus of the book.'—Archives
'The result of her studies is a splendid book affirming the existence of Shaker gender equality. . . . Together with her other works on the Shakers, with Sisters in the Faith, Wergland has demonstrated once more that she holds a firm place at the forefront of modern Shaker scholarship.'—Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions
Glendyne R. Wergland is an independent scholar and author of One Shaker Life: Isaac Newton Youngs, 1793-1865 (University of Massachusetts Press, 2006).
