Practical Faith: How Southern Black Women and White Women Used Their Faith in Pursuit of Equality

Author

Holly Baer, University of Mississippi. Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors CollegeFollow

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Philosophy and Religion

First Advisor

Sarah Moses

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This thesis explores how Southern black and white women used their Christian faith in the pursuit of racial and gender equality, showing how feminist theory and religious doctrine function in reality and everyday practice. The first chapter looks at upper and middle class white women's experiences from the Antebellum period through the early twentieth century, and shows how they used their faith to gain autonomy by manipulating common religious beliefs of the time. The second chapter examines black women's experiences, primarily during the Civil Rights Era, and shows that black women had to approach equality as vocal activists, rather than relying on subtle, subversive change.

Recommended Citation

Baer, Holly, "Practical Faith: How Southern Black Women and White Women Used Their Faith in Pursuit of Equality" (2016). Honors Theses. 385.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/385

Accessibility Status

Searchable text