Gendering Catholicism in Late Modern Spanish History (1854–1923): Research Lines and Debates for a European Dialogue

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to bridge the gap between Spanish and European historiography specializing in gender and Christianity studies, in order to enrich general observations and contribute to ongoing debates beyond Spain. To this end, I will map the most salient problems and interpretations that have emerged from Spanish historiography addressing the relationship between gender and Catholicism between 1854 and 1923, in light of Spain's dynamic gender and revitalized religious studies. I will then approach inner controversies connected to broader debates on the feminization of Spanish Catholicism throughout the late nineteenth century, the changes in the gender discourse of Catholicism and its interactions with liberalism and modernity, the re-masculinization of Catholicism (or the Catholicization of masculinity), the gendered Catholic mobilization and the controversy on Catholic feminism. Throughout this article, this line of research will, in turn, contribute new insights into the phenomena and discourses shaping the contemporary history of Spain, such as secularization, modernization and nation-building processes.