Convent Life in Colonial Mexico

A Tale of Two Communities

Stephanie Kirk

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9780813064932
  9780813030302
• eBook ISBN:
  9780813063744
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Mexican History
• Index: History

"A valuable and logical step in the progression of critical studies on convent writing. . . . We have moved from seeing women writers as working at the margins to seeing them as writing subjects."—Latin American Research Review "Consider[s] nuns not as merely secular or religious writers, but through the lens of interdisciplinary study, as multifaceted historical agents. . . . The importance of the kind of innovative theoretical work undertaken by this text . . . cannot be over-emphasized, and will offer a both provocative and illuminating read to scholars in a broad range of disciplines."—Journal of International Women's Studies "Kirk reconstructs aspects of the lives of colonial nuns through close-up readings of select manuscripts and, additionally, of published primary sources. . . . A lively and provocative addition to the literature on colonial Mexico that offers new insights into the dynamics of religious community."—Bulletin of Latin American Research "A thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of community-building among colonial Latin American women."—A Contracorriente "A timely scholarly contribution to the field of gender and religion. . . . Presents a fresh look at convent literature by specifically analyzing alliances, friendships, and communities."—Colonial Latin American Historical Review "An interesting and ambitious study of the discourses associated with convent life in Mexico."—Catholic Historical Review

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction: A Tale of Two Communities
• 2. Death and the Maiden: Buried Alive in the New World Cloister
• 3. The Community of Lovers: Mala amistad in the Convent
• 4. Mobilizing Community: The Fight against vida común
• 5. Sor Juana, Serafina de Cristo, and the Nuns of the Casa del Placer: Intellectual Alliance and Learned Community
• Conclusion
• Appendix
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index