About the book
During French colonial rule in Louisiana, nuns from the French Company of Saint Ursula came to New Orleans, where they educated women and girls of European, Indian, and African descent, enslaved and free, in literacy, numeracy, and the Catholic faith. Although religious women had gained acceptance and authority in seventeenth-century France, the New World was less welcoming. Emily Clark explores the transformations required of the Ursulines as their distinctive female piety collided with slave society, Spanish colonial rule, and Protestant hostility.
The Ursulines gained prominence in New Orleans through the social services they provided — schooling, an orphanage, and refuge for abused and widowed women — which also allowed them a self-sustaining level of corporate wealth. Clark traces the conflicts the Ursulines encountered through Spanish colonial rule (1767–1803) and after the Louisiana Purchase, as Protestants poured into Louisiana and were dismayed to find a powerful community of self-supporting women and a church congregation dominated by African Americans. The unmarried nuns contravened both the patriarchal order of the slaveholding American South and the Protestant construction of femininity that supported it. By incorporating their story into the history of early America, Masterless Mistresses exposes the limits of the republican model of national unity.
Editions of Masterless Mistresses
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807831229
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807858226
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469601069
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890876539
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807839034
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890876522
Read an Excerpt
During French colonial rule in Louisiana, nuns from the French Company of Saint Ursula came to New Orleans, where they educated women and girls of European, Indian, and African descent, enslaved and free, in literacy, numeracy, and the Catholic faith. Although religious women had gained acceptance and authority in seventeenth-century France, the New World was less welcoming. Emily Clark explores the transformations required of the Ursulines as their distinctive female piety collided with slave society, Spanish colonial rule, and Protestant hostility.
The Ursulines gained prominence in New Orleans through the social services they provided — schooling, an orphanage, and refuge for abused and widowed women — which also allowed them a self-sustaining level of corporate wealth. Clark traces the conflicts the Ursulines encountered through Spanish colonial rule (1767–1803) and after the Louisiana Purchase, as Protestants poured into Louisiana and were dismayed to find a powerful community of self-supporting women and a church congregation dominated by African Americans. The unmarried nuns contravened both the patriarchal order of the slaveholding American South and the Protestant construction of femininity that supported it. By incorporating their story into the history of early America, Masterless Mistresses exposes the limits of the republican model of national unity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Masterless Mistresses about?
During French colonial rule in Louisiana, nuns from the French Company of Saint Ursula came to New Orleans, where they educated women and girls of European, Indian, and African descent, enslaved and free, in literacy, numeracy, and the Catholic faith. Although religious women had gained acceptance and authority in seventeenth-century France, the New World was less welcoming. Emily Clark explores the transformations required of the Ursulines as their distinctive female piety collided with slave society, Spanish colonial rule, and Protestant hostility.
The Ursulines gained prominence in New Orleans through the social services they provided — schooling, an orphanage, and refuge for abused and widowed women — which also allowed them a self-sustaining level of corporate wealth. Clark traces the conflicts the Ursulines encountered through Spanish colonial rule (1767–1803) and after the Louisiana Purchase, as Protestants poured into Louisiana and were dismayed to find a powerful community of self-supporting women and a church congregation dominated by African Americans. The unmarried nuns contravened both the patriarchal order of the slaveholding American South and the Protestant construction of femininity that supported it. By incorporating their story into the history of early America, Masterless Mistresses exposes the limits of the republican model of national unity.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Masterless Mistresses?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Masterless Mistresses?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807831229
How long is Masterless Mistresses and how many pages does it have?
Masterless Mistresses has 304 page(s)
Is Masterless Mistresses part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Masterless Mistresses?
Emily Clark
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Masterless Mistresses is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807831229) and paperback(ISBN 9780807858226) and ebook(ISBN 9781469601069) and ebook(ISBN 9798890876539) and ebook(ISBN 9780807839034) and pdf(ISBN 9798890876522)
Where can I buy Masterless Mistresses online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Masterless Mistresses from below
Where can I buy Masterless Mistresses?