God Gave Us The Right: Conservative Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, and Orthodox Jewish Women Grapple with Feminism [Hardcover]

Christel Manning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

What does it mean to be a religious conservative, particularly for a woman, in America today? Drawing on two years of ethnographic research in Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish communities, Christel Manning explores the diversity of views among women who have returned to tradition. Arguing that America has undergone profound cultural and economic changes in the last thirty years--changes that have created tension between women's lives and traditional gender roles--she demonstrates that conservative Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, and Orthodox Jews negotiate those tensions in a variety of ways. Manning explains how they deal with the contradictions arising from their attempts to integrate feminist and traditionalist norms. The comparative kaleidoscope that Manning presents of these women's views on feminism, however, shows them to be deeply rooted in the diverse theologies and historical experiences of their communities.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Manning (religious studies, Sacred Heart Univ.) has written a comparative study of women who have converted or returned to three different conservative religious communities: Catholic, orthodox Jewish, and evangelical Protestant. Her research challenges the popular view that conservative religious women as united in opposition to secular feminist goals. Through an exploration of these women's views on issues identified with secular feminism, from abortion and homosexuality to women's place in society, Manning shows the diversity of conservative responses. Especially interesting are the ways in which these women's stated attitudes often differ from those of the religious right's official leadership, as well as the degrees to which these women have integrated feminism into their own lives (despite a generally explicit opposition to the feminist movement). Manning observes these women in the context of their respective religious communities and explores their responses to feminism and other challenges of secular society. Suitable for academic libraries and women's studies collections.?Rachel Singer, Franklin Park P.L., IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Delves into the complex, seemingly contradictory, emotions and behaviors of women who embrace conservative religious traditions as they come to terms with feminism." -- Debra Renee Kaufman, author of Rachel's Daughters

"Highly accessible...Manning introduces us to some thoughtful women from evangelical Protestant, Orthodox Jewish, and conservative Catholic backgrounds -- analyzing their lives as a complicated blend of modern values and traditional belief." -- Margaret Bendroth, Author of Fundamentalism and Gender, 1875 to the Present

"This book shatters stereotypes and portrays the religious lives of ordinary women as they really are." -- Wade Clark Roof, J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, Department of Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813525985
• ISBN-13: 978-0813525983
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,192,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feminists and Non-Feminsts can benefit from this book., January 24, 2006

By 

T. Tononi "cuttlefish warrior" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God Gave Us The Right: Conservative Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, and Orthodox Jewish Women Grapple with Feminism (Paperback)

If you want to hear the VOICES of women in regards to their conservative religious beliefs and their tensions with feminism this is a great book.

I really respect that it is full of case studies and interviews that allows women to speak and allow the reader to in turn listen. As a feminists I wish these women did not feel antagonistic towards feminism but also as a feminist I value women's lives, choices, opinions, and voices. These women are important and they speak to the very real tensions that deserve more attention between women who are for and and women who are against feminism.