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Christian Manliness For Women? Contradictions of Christian youth organization in early 20th-century Sweden

Malmer, Elin and Sidenvall, Erik LU orcid (2009) In Scandinavian Journal of History 34(4). p.394-413
Abstract
Evangelical revivalism attracted large numbers of young adherents in early 20th-century Sweden. In this article we discuss what happened when Christian youth societies for men and women merged into mixed societies. The decline of the ideal of the single-sex youth society meant that a decidedly female form of religious organization disappeared. We argue, however, that the change also entailed cautious challenges to established notions of gender. First, a discourse was created in which notions of manliness were placed in the centre, and women, to some extent, were seen as embodying masculinity. Secondly, even though central actors had objections towards a direct female leadership of men, female board members were accepted from the start in... (More)
Evangelical revivalism attracted large numbers of young adherents in early 20th-century Sweden. In this article we discuss what happened when Christian youth societies for men and women merged into mixed societies. The decline of the ideal of the single-sex youth society meant that a decidedly female form of religious organization disappeared. We argue, however, that the change also entailed cautious challenges to established notions of gender. First, a discourse was created in which notions of manliness were placed in the centre, and women, to some extent, were seen as embodying masculinity. Secondly, even though central actors had objections towards a direct female leadership of men, female board members were accepted from the start in local societies. The patriarchal gender order remained, but in some ways the mixed Christian youth organization gave way to an exercise in partnership. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
youth organization, gender, evangelical revivalism, Christian manliness
in
Scandinavian Journal of History
volume
34
issue
4
pages
394 - 413
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • wos:000273749700003
  • scopus:77949992173
ISSN
1502-7716
DOI
10.1080/03468750903126612
project
Christian Manliness, a Paradox of Modernity: Men and Religion in a Northern-European Context, 1840 to 1940
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2c8eeb13-1dea-43a4-8177-9a6b457c4ff3 (old id 1546461)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:44:57
date last changed
2023-04-18 20:08:10
@article{2c8eeb13-1dea-43a4-8177-9a6b457c4ff3,
  abstract     = {{Evangelical revivalism attracted large numbers of young adherents in early 20th-century Sweden. In this article we discuss what happened when Christian youth societies for men and women merged into mixed societies. The decline of the ideal of the single-sex youth society meant that a decidedly female form of religious organization disappeared. We argue, however, that the change also entailed cautious challenges to established notions of gender. First, a discourse was created in which notions of manliness were placed in the centre, and women, to some extent, were seen as embodying masculinity. Secondly, even though central actors had objections towards a direct female leadership of men, female board members were accepted from the start in local societies. The patriarchal gender order remained, but in some ways the mixed Christian youth organization gave way to an exercise in partnership.}},
  author       = {{Malmer, Elin and Sidenvall, Erik}},
  issn         = {{1502-7716}},
  keywords     = {{youth organization; gender; evangelical revivalism; Christian manliness}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{394--413}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of History}},
  title        = {{Christian Manliness For Women? Contradictions of Christian youth organization in early 20th-century Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03468750903126612}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/03468750903126612}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}