Portland Public Library

Sisters in the faith, Shaker women and equality of the sexes, Glendyne R. Wergland

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Sisters in the faith

bibliography

632133159

Glendyne R. Wergland

Shaker women and equality of the sexes

"Drawing on an extensive archive of primary documents, Wergland discusses topics ranging from girl-hood, 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."--From publisher description

Shaker terminology -- Introduction -- Joining the Shakers. Ann Lee ; The short marriage of Mother Lucy Wright ; Why women joined the Shakers, 1780/1840 ; Shaker girlhood ; Chastity and the Shaker cap -- Work and worship. The world's views of Shaker sisters, 1782/1865 ; Work, reciprocity, equality, and union ; Gendered conflict among the Shakers ; Abuse by spirit messages during the era of manifestations ; The new Lebanon deaconesses' bonnet business, 1835/1850 -- Conclusions on Shaker equality of the sexes

Shaker women and equality of the sexes