Nuns are hardly associated in the popular mind with rebellion and turmoil. In fact; convents have often been the scenes of conflict; but what went on behind the walls of convents was meant by the church to be mysterious. Great care was taken to prevent the "scandal" of factionalism in the nunneries from becoming widely known. This has made it very difficult to reconstruct the battles fought; the issues debated; and the relationships tested in such convents. Margaret Chowning has discovered a treasure-trove of documents that allow an intimate look at two crises that wracked the convent of La PurÃsima Concepción in San Miguel el Grande; New Spain (Mexico). At the heart of both rebellions were attempts by some nuns to impose a regimen of strict observance of their vows on the others; and the resistance mounted by those who had a different view of the convent and their own role in it. Would the community adopt as austere a lifestyle as they could endure; doing manual labor; suffering hunger and physical discomfort; deprived of the society of family and friends? Or would these women be allowed to lead comfortable and private lives when not at prayer? Accusations and counteraccusations flew. First one side and then the other seemed to have the upper hand. For a time; a mysterious and dramatic illness broke out among the rebellious nuns; capturing the limelight. Were they faking? Were they unconsciously influenced by their ringleader; the charismatic and manipulative young women who first experienced the "mal"? Rebellious Nuns covers the history of the convent from its founding in 1752 to the forced eviction of the nuns in 1863. While the period of rebellion is at the center of the narrative; Chowning also gives an account of the factors that led up to the crises and the rebellion's continuing repercussions on the convent in the decades to follow. Drawing on an abundance of sources; including numerous letters written by the bishop and local vicar as well as nuns of both factions; Chowning is able to give us not just the voices but the personalities of the nuns and other actors. In this way she makes it possible for us to empathize with all of them and to appreciate the complicated dynamics of having committed your life not only to God but to your community.
#2958220 in Books Oxford University Press; USA 2003-09-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.00 x 1.00 x 1.00l; 1.28 #File Name: 0195172817400 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Missing Piece of Civil War HistoryBy AvidReaderTo really understand the Civil War time period we need to know the full picture. One major thing overlooked by many historians was the incredible amount of prewar violence ripping the nation apart as one side fought to extend slavery into all the free states and the abolitionists risked life and limb to fight back. This is a fascinating historical study mainly intended for serious history buffs on just how much violence was happening and who was behind it. Did you know that the Vice President at one point was behind the mobs that were sent to disrupt antislavery meetings? This book details riot after riot and how it affected the nation. Riots were a major tool used by the proslavery lobby to try to silence any type of antislavery "agitation" which helps us understand the courage of the abolitionists who stared down the mob.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Important book on American violenceBy O. PflugAmerican mobbing is a difficult; but ultimately fulfilling read. The author's prose it a bit dense and verges on haughty at many points; but the scholarship is very high quality. The book deals with riots large and small in the years before the Civil War. The most important part of the book takes up the first two thirds of the volume; with the last third covering topics (political violence including bleeding Kansas) written about heavily elsewhere.The first two parts of the book deal with northern and southern riots that involved slavery in some way. While northern anti-abolition riots did flare in the mid-1830s they were much less deadly than southern riots. Furthermore; southern riot victims of "anti-abolition" mobs were hardly abolitionists. Usually victims had merely failed to praise slavery to the extent the mob demanded. Most of the materials that the author used in his accounts of the riots come from personal letters; as southern newspapers often repressed details of violent riots. The social ideal behind southern riots was indeed primarily concerned with suppression of dissent and the establishment of a society (white and black) unquestioning of the slave-system. The author notes that while most southern anti-abolition riots were not directed at actual abolitionists; riots against alleged black uprising fomenters; was also questionably directed. That while the southern legal system worked reasonable well in the face of actual insurrections (Nat Turn; John Brown); mob riots against blacks were often based on nothing more than unsubstantiated rumor. Victims in these situations (with rioters often assisted by authorities) could number more than one hundred.American Mobbing is an important work that any Civil War specialist should read.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy SheilaExactly as described.
