Seeking Authenticity: Women and Learning in the Catholic Worker Movement

Oral history interviews form the basis of an investigation into both the context and the everyday actions that contributed to the learning environment for women within the Catholic Worker Movement during the 1930s and 1940s. Findings reveal that narrators (a) were grounded in a variety of learning e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Adult education quarterly (American Association for Adult and Continuing Education) 2007-05, Vol.57 (3), p.221-247
Main Authors: Parrish, Marilyn McKinley, Taylor, Edward W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Education
Catholics
Educational Environment
Evaluation Methods
Females
Gender Bias
Group Membership
Learning Processes
Oral History
Social Action
Spiritual Development
Young Adults
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Summary:Oral history interviews form the basis of an investigation into both the context and the everyday actions that contributed to the learning environment for women within the Catholic Worker Movement during the 1930s and 1940s. Findings reveal that narrators (a) were grounded in a variety of learning environments including family, Catholic Church, and school contexts; (b) sought adventure and authenticity as young adults; (c) practiced compassionate and critical-systemic faith within the Catholic Worker, which resulted in a new framework or way of seeing; (d) developed significant relationships that fostered learning in new ways; and (d) despite oppressive narrowing of opportunity for some because of their gender, learned to trust personal conscience as it guided them into positions of leadership that were unusual at the time within their local parishes. This study contributes to the expanding boundaries of the history of adult education by addressing issues of gender, spirituality, and learning in social movements.
ISSN:0741-7136
1552-3047
DOI:10.1177/0741713606296754