The Pious sex : Catholic constructions of masculinity and femininity in Belgium, c. 1800-1940 / tine van Osselaer.
Material type: TextSeries: KADOC studies on religion, culture, and societyPublisher: Leuven : Leuven University Press, [2013]Description: 1 online resource (271 pages)Content type:- text
- computer
- online resource
- 9789461662132
- 9461662130
- Catholic Church -- Belgium -- History -- 19th century
- Catholic Church -- Belgium -- History -- 20th century
- Sex role -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church
- Sex differences -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church
- RELIGION -- Sexuality & Gender Studies
- Christian men -- Conduct of life
- Christian women
- Christian women -- Conduct of life
- Masculinity -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
- Sex role -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
- Belgium
- Geschlechterrolle
- Geschlechtsunterschied
- Katholizismus
- Religiosit�at
- Belgien
- 261.8 23
- BX1795.S49 O87 2013eb
Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-268) and index.
Although women were called the 'pious sex' much earlier, it was during the nineteenth century, when the differences between men and women were being made more explicit, that an intense bond between women and religion was developed. Religiosity was thought to be a 'natural' part of femininity and turned religious masculinity into an oddity. This clear-cut gender ideology, however, remains an ideology (prescribed and contested) that needs to be put in the perspective of its context of origin, the bourgeois milieu. How were these gender identities constructed and by whom? Tine Van Osselaer seeks to clarify how the gender differentiation was created among Belgian Catholics. She brings to light the extent to which religiosity was inscribed in these constructions and how religious teachings contributed to it. It is clear that the limitations of the 'feminization' thesis, a master narrative that has strongly contributed to the introduction of women in religious history, have gradually become more visible. Documenting pastoral care, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Catholic Action, this book offers critical commentaries on the master narratives, suggesting that even men could belong to a 'pious sex.'
Print version record.
Gender & Religion ; The 'Feminisation' Thesis: A primer; Approach; The 'Pious Sex' ; Gender Ideology in Church ; Gender Ideology for the 'Little Church', the Catholic Home; The Sacred Heart Devotion in Belgium ; Changing Apostles; Gendering Heroism; Setting the Stage ; Mobilising Men ; Mobilising Mothers ; Adam, Eve and the Others ; 'Feminisation' and 'masculinisation'?; Epilogue; Abbreviations; Bibliography; index; colophon.
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