Angels on Earth: Mothering, Religion and Spirtuality

Overview

This collection brings together scholarly and creative pieces that reveal how the intellectual, emotional, and physical work of mothering is informed by women’s religiosities and spiritualities. Its contributors examine contemporary and historical perspectives on religious and spiritual mothering through interdisciplinary research, feminist life writing, textual analyses, and creative non-fiction work. In contrast to the bulk of feminist scholarship which marginalizes women’s religious and spiritual knowledges, this volume explores how such epistemologies fundamentally shape the lived experiences of diverse mothers across the globe. In emphasizing the empowerment and enrichment that women derive from their religious beliefs and spiritual worldviews, Angels on Earth invites readers to cultivate a deeper understanding of how mothers are transforming their local communities, religious institutions, and broader spiritual traditions.

Reviews

"I read this book in two sittings with building curiosity for what religious and mothering perspectives and experiences the next chapter would reveal. This book is a great addition to the field of mothering and religious studies that I highly recommend for students, scholars, and all children of mothers seeking to understand the complexity and intricacies of mothering with mindfulness and compassion in a religiously diverse world." â€â€ÂBarbara Bickel, Director of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Associate Professor of Art Education, Southern Illinois University  

?"There is a delicious irony in the title of this volume, Angels on Earth, as its essays bedevil commonly-held patriarchal assumptions about motherhood, religion and spirituality. Their focus on the ways in which mothering and religiosity/spirituality intersect in real women's lives opens up promising new avenues of inquiry into women's active participation in defining themselves and their worlds." â€â€ÂBecky R. Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities, York University, and co-editor of Canadian Women Shaping Diasporic Religious Identities