Charity, Challenge, and Change: Religious Dimensions of the Mid-Nineteenth Century Women's Movement in Germany

by Cathy Prelinger

Overview

This book examines the religious context from which emerged the German women's movement in the mid-nineteenth century. During this period, Protestant and Catholic women alike began to participate in philanthropic activities such as nursing, childcare, and education. Alliances were formed between women of different faiths who desired to move beyond the feminization of charity to a participation in social change. While women continued to perform charitable work, they also became involved in the development of a new philosophy of early childhood which led to the kindergarten movement, and championed the introduction of higher education for women. Using extensive archival research, Catherine M. Prelinger has cast new light on the roots of the contemporary women's movement in Germany through her analysis of the religious basis of its struggle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313254017
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/11/1987
Series:	Contributions in Women's Studies , #75
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

CATHERINE M. PRELINGER is Associate Editor of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Protestant Philanthropy: A Male Preserve Admits Women
Benevolent Visiting: Feminized Philanthropy in the Service of Orthodoxy
Inter-Confessional Expectations of Women in Hamburg
Philanthropy and Education: An Agenda for Women Allied Against Prejudice
From Hamburg to Germany: Appeal to the Feminist Press in Revolutionary Saxony
The Challenge of Social Change
Conclusion: Reaction, Repression, Cooptation
Selected Bibliography
Index