Stories of Religion and Gender in America: An Oral History Archive
Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Evangelical Christian movement in America, women have been engaged in multiple performances of femininity, utilizing new media such as Instagram and blogs as a public platform for defining the shape of gendered religious identity. In an increasingly interconnected and digital world it is vital to look at new and emerging religious spaces, particularly those which give voice to historically underrepresented groups. Through oral history I am speaking with women from both of these communities who write blogs and run instagram accounts, all within the framework of feminist theory.
One of the goals of this project is to better understand women’s religious thoughts and experiences generally, and specifically around issues of gender. Oral histories allow for more holistic conversations, and allow interviewees to tell their own stories in their own words; to be subjects rather than objects of study. Interviews will be digitally recorded and transcribed and will be used to complete my dissertation research, and potentially in further academic projects.
If you would like to be involved, or if you want to talk about this project, I would love to hear from you! You can contact me directly through this link (contact link), or you can email me at katedavisresearch@gmail.com or kathryn.sargent@cgu.edu. If you are interested in participating you can fill out this brief form and I will reach out to you.
