La paradoja católica ante la modernidad : modelos de feminidad y mujeres católicas en España (1851-1874)

This PhD thesis focuses on Catholicism’s role in the formation of nineteenth century femininities in Spain. Using gender and discursive history methodological tools, the assumptions are that the feminization of the Catholic discourse was not only a decisive factor in the construction of sexual differences during the 19th century, but also contributed towards placing Catholicism in Modernity’s crossroads of diversity. The two most prominent and lasting results of this process were the naturalization of the link between women and religion, and the symbolic feminization of the Catholic Church, which defined itself with the same traits it considered ideal for women at the time while patriarchal hierarchies of power within the Church were maintained or even reinforced. During 19th century Spain, the Catholic mother was the ideal woman promoted by clergymen and Catholic supporters. Despite its illiberal character, this model still had points in common with the liberal-bourgeois angel of the house, and both models were mutually reinforcing. Catholic women defined their identity and channelled their actions through the Catholic gender discourse, particularly through its rifts and contradictions, not always following the Catholic Church’s hierarchy expectations. This was particularly the case with the founders and Mother superiors of feminine congregations, who did not exclude authority, ambition, independence and, ultimately, power, from their re-Christianization project of society. These are the two general objectives of this PhD thesis: 1. Reconsider the link between Catholicism and modernity established by the classical secularisation theory, especially through a gender point of view. 2. More than a broad study of feminization of Catholicism in 19th century, my research tries to know how this religion contributed to the construction of the sexual difference in the Modern Age. Although I have referred to France and Italy cases in order to establish the necessary comparative perspective within the so called “Europe of the Catholic South”, my main study field is Spain during the mid-nineteenth century. In the particular context of Spain between 1851 (sign of Concordat between the Spanish Government and the Holy See) and 1874 (end of the revolutionary period called Sexenio Democrático), these are the three specific objectives of this PhD thesis: 1. The analysis of the gender Catholic discourse, elaborated by clergy and Catholic publicists, in comparison with other femininity models of this time. 2. The study of the way in which this gender Catholic discourse was developed in political terms, specifically in two very conflictive moments: the Bienio Progresista (1854-1856) and the Sexenio Democrático (1868-1874). 3. The evaluation of the influence that this gender Catholic discourse had in the action and identity of Catholic women, particularly the founders and mother superiors of female congregations.