Origins of the Magdalene Laundries: An Analytical History

by Rebecca Lea McCarthy

Overview

The convents, asylums, and laundries that once comprised the Magdalene institutions are the subject of this work. Though originally half-way homes for prostitutes in the Middle Ages, these homes often became forced-labor institutions, particularly in Ireland. Examining the laundries within the context of a growing world capitalist economy, the work argues that the process of colonization, and of defining a national image, determined the nature and longevity of the Magdalene Laundries. This process developed differently in Ireland, where the last laundry closed in 1996. The book focuses on the devolution of the significance of Mary Magdalene as a metaphor for the organization: from an affluent, strong supporter of Jesus to a simple, fallen woman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786444465
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Pages:	269
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Lea McCarthy is a professor of humanities at Kaplan University. She lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface     
Introduction     

PART ONE: MARY MAGDALENE AND THE RISE OF MAGDALENISM
One—Mary Magdalene and the Mother Mary     
Two—The Rhetorical Framing of the Magdalene and Women in the Early Middle Ages     
Three—Medieval Prostitution, Regulation, and Repentance     

PART TWO: THE STATE, COLONIZATION, AND THE FEMALE AS CITIZEN
Four—Ancient Irish Law and Women’s Status in Precolonial Ireland     
Five—The Colonization of Ireland and Her Women     
Six—The Rise of the Irish Magdalene Laundries     
Seven—The Rise of the English Magdalenes and the Magdalen-House     
Eight—The Twentieth Century Magdalene Laundries     

Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index