Hail Mary?: Struggle for Ultimate Womanhood in Catholicism

Description

The Virgin Mary is considered the most powerful female religious figure in western civilization. She is also a popular figure, as demonstrated by the ongoing "cult of Mary" that includes flocks of believers who pilgrimage to the place of her sighting. Yet the official image of Mary is a troubling one. In traditional Catholicism, she is venerated for her humility, her lowliness in the sight of God, and her perpetual virginity. Christian feminists challenge this sexist portrayal, which reinforces oppression against women. They propose instead an image of a stronger, more independent Mary. Hail Mary? covers this struggle to control the imagery of Mary, illustrating how Mary is central to the Church's moral control over Catholic women and therefore pivotal in any movement for change. The book promotes an imagery which attempts to recover the ancient concept of every woman's participation in the divinity of Mary, which proposes transcendence, not divination, to maintain women's active participation in Catholicism.

Maurice Hamington, Oregon State University

"This fascinating analysis of the many images of Mary illuminates ideological struggles within Catholicism. An important contribution to feminist thought."-Barrie Thorne, Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, University of California, Berkeley. "Hamington has written such a fascinating book that I had to put my pen down lest I underline everything.."-"National Catholic Reporter ...this work reads well and is worth one's time and effort. It provides an interesting approach to Mary- a provocative work reminding Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox "A good overview of feminist problems with promises of Mary in contemporary Catholicism.."-" WATERwheel Vol. 9, No. 4, 1996 "Harrington's book is an excellent discussion of both the development of Marian imagery and its critique by feminist theology ... This analysis of Mary is a splendid vehicle for the discussion of the Catholic Church's understanding of women."-"Church History