Description
Book SynopsisModels of Charitable Care analyses the practice of Catholic nuns in Amsterdam in the 19th and 20th century. Attention is paid to the ambiguous ascetic spiritual discourse that underpinned their work: it encouraged charity as solidarity with strangers, but caused intense emotional distance too. Historiography is mainly manufactured by religious and lay academics who shared the congregational perspective and presented fairly positive evaluations. Criticism from within, however, is voiced by care leavers who grew up in homes ran by religious. Some are grateful, others bitter. The sisters were living models who combined an anti-worldly outlook with a practical concern for vulnerable creatures. Relating various theoretical interpretations, a typology of three models is developed with ‘agency’ as the differentiating criterion.
Trade Review"Van Heijst [komt] tot een zeer verfijnde en complete anlayse van de zorgpraktijk." Paul van Trigt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam "A must-read for every researcher in the historiography of care work by nuns and for those interested in the debates on what actually took place in the history of various religious-inspired forms of care." Annemieke van Drenth, Leiden University, The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 95, No. 4 (October 2009), pp. 858-859. "An elegant [...] tome which should be a welcome addition to university libraries worldwide; academics working in the history of child care, bureaucrats wrestling with the problems of modern residential care and private readers interested in the subject." Barry M. Coldrey, Melbourne. In: Church History and Religious Culture, Vol. 90, No. 4 (2010), pp. 715-716.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Superior generals of the Poor Sisters of the Divine Child, or Sisters of ‘The Providence’ Introduction 1. A History of Care 2. Caring for Roosje 3. Men in Association: Class and Charity 4. Ladies and Housemaids: Gender and Charity 5. Powerful and Empowering Care: Confession and Charity 6. From the Viewpoint of Care-Receivers 7. The Care Vision in the Normative Texts 8. Caring for the Children of God 9. The Making of Charitable History 10. The Ethics of Charitable Care Glossary of Religious Terms Bibliography
