Providence Has Freed Our Hands
Women’s Missions and the American Encounter with Japan
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Syracuse University Press
Published:30th Apr '08
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
At the close of the nineteenth century, American women missionaries traveled far afield to spread Christianity across the globe. Their presence abroad played a significant role in shaping foreign perceptions of America. At the same time, the cultural knowledge and independence these women missionaries gained had a profound impact on gender roles and racial ideologies among Protestants in the United States. In Providence Has Freed Our Hands, Karen K. Seat tells the history of women's foreign missions in Japan and reveals the considerable role they played in liberalizing American understandings of Christianity, gender, and race.The author uses the story of Elizabeth Russell, a colorful missionary to Japan, as the backbone of her study. As a member of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the most powerful women's institutions of the late nineteenth century, Russell founded a progressive school for girls in Japan, defying the conservative ideologies not only of her own organization but also of the government of Japan. Transformed by her experience in Japan, Russell became a forceful advocate for racial tolerance and women's rights.
ISBN: 9780815631811
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 20mm
Weight: 454g
204 pages