By Craig A. Monson (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) Piecing together 200 years of convent history, this engaging narrative tells the story of the nuns of Santa Cristina della Fondazza—gifted singers, instrumentalists, and composers who used music to circumvent ecclesiastical authority and to forge links with the world beyond convent walls. Craig Monson reconstructs the daily lives … Continued
By Akram Fouad Khater (NHC Fellow, 2005–06) Hndiyya al-‘Ujaimi, a young eighteenth-century nun whose faith was matched by her ambition and intellect, lies at the heart of this absorbing history of Middle Eastern Christianity. At the age of twenty-six, Hindiyya left her hometown of Aleppo to establish a convent in the mountains of Lebanon. Her … Continued
Edited by Elizabeth A. Clark (NHC Fellow, 1988–89; 2001–02), Judith M. Bennett, Jean F. O’Barr, B. Anne Vilen, and Sarah Westphal-Wihl Focusing on medieval women with a wide range of occupations and life-styles, the interdisciplinary essays in this collection examine women’s activities within the patriarchal structures of the time. Individual essays explore women’s challenges to … Continued
Intentionally wandering in Yangon, Burma with a good friend, led to being found by two Buddhist monks our same age. I was there to study how Buddhism influences culture as part of a study abroad program through Samford University. The monks invited us to spend the day at their monastery. The all-day conversation that ensued … Continued