Description
Book SynopsisLife Histories of Bahá'í Women in Canada: Constructing Religious Identity in the Twentieth Century is an unprecedented study of the essential features of living a Bahá'í life, examining contributions and experiences of a diverse group of Canadian women and men in a new religion through a sociological framework and a women-centred perspective.
The key figures in the Bahá'í Faith, early female heroes, major teachings of the religion, and Canadian Bahá'í history are detailed. A background on social history and the feminization of religion also provides a context for twentieth century Canadian life. Drawing upon Western religious and secular thought and practice, theories and social attitudes about the nature of woman and the Bahá'í perspective on these topics are explicated.
These stirring narratives, historical and contemporary, provide a compelling perspective on social processes and interactional dimensions of Bahá'í community life. The life histories also illustrate, in
Trade Review«‘Life Histories of Bahá’í Women in Canada’ is an important contribution to Bahá’í studies on two levels. First, it presents stories of the experiences of early women in the Bahá’í community of Canada. Were it not for Echevarria’s interviews, much of this knowledge might have been lost forever as the research participants reach the end of their lives. Second, the book provides an excellent example of how one can discuss topics related to the Bahá’í Faith and the Bahá’í Writings in ways that connect to the discourse of areas of scholarship not explicitly concerned with religion. There is no awkwardness to this process. The author successfully brings together the narratives of Bahá’ís, academic literature, the Bahá’í Writings, and the work of other Bahá’í scholars. I warmly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Bahá’í history, the equality of women and men, feminist approaches to religious studies, and anyone who would like to be inspired by a good read.» (Deborah van den Hoonaard, The Journal of Bahá’í Studies 24.1-2, 2014)
