Abstract
In a religious community, gender is layered with theological understandings about the meaning of the difference between men and women and is illustrated through notions about and practices of marriage. Exhibited in the socialization of children or the ritual embedded in worship activity, gender is one lens that helps us comprehend the lives of religious individuals in the context of religious society. Gender is, according to Michael S. Kimmel, “a central, primordial experience, one that permeates every aspect of social life, constructing the values, attitudes, and behaviors that constitute cultural experience. Whereas biological sex referred to males and females, gender refers to the socially constructed meanings that are attached to those sexes. Gender varies from culture to culture, within any culture over time, among various subgroups, and over any individual’s lifetime. Gender is socially constructed” (Kimmel and Kimmel 1997, 1).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bederman, Gail. 1995. Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880–1917. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Bradley, Martha Sonntag. 1994. “A More Righteous Seed: A Comparison of Polygamy among the Branch Davidians and the Fundamentalists Mormons.” In From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco, edited by James R. Lewis, 165–168. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Bromley, David G., and Edward D. Silver. 1995. “The Davidian Tradition: From Patronal Clan to Prophetic Movement.” In Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict, edited by Stuart A. Wright, 43–74. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Elison, Christopher G., and John P. Bartkowski. 1995. “‘Babies Were Being Beaten’: Exploring Child Abuse Allegations at Ranch Apocalypse.” In Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict, edited by Stuart Wright, 111–52. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
England, Mark, Mark McCormick, and Darlene McCormick. 1993. “The Sinful Messiah,” Parts 3–7, Waco Tribune-Herald, May 5, 1993, 9A.
Green, Glen. 1985. “Oral Memoirs,” February 2, 1985, interview 2, p. 44, transcript, Institute for Oral History, Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
Haldeman, Bonnie. 2007. Memories of the Branch Davidians: The Autobiography of David Koresh’s Mother. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press.
Halliburton, Rita. 1980. “Centexan: Holy Spirit Female,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 26, 1980, 5B.
Hill, Alette, Annette Bennington McElhiney, and Joan Van Becelaere. 1993. “Understanding Gender-Shaping Institutions.” In Women’s Studies Thinking Women, edited by Joy Wetzel, 61–76. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Kerber, Linda K. 1976. “The Republican Mother: Women and the Enlightenment-An American Perspective,” American Quarterly 28(2): 187–205.
Kimmel, Michael S. 1997. “Introduction: The Power of Gender and the Gender of Power.” In The Material Culture of Gender, edited by Katherine A. Martinez and Kenneth L. Ames, 1–6, Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England.
Miller, Timothy. 1995. America’s Alternative Religions. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Pitts, William L. Jr. 1995. “Davidians and Branch Davidians: 1929–1987.” In Armageddon in Waco, edited by Stuart A. Wright, 20–44. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
—. 2009. “Women Leaders in the Davidian and Branch Davidian Traditions: Failure and Success,” Nova Religio 12(4): 50–71.
Reavis, Dick J. 1995. The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
Roden, Lois. 1980. By His Spirit. Bellmead, TX: Living Waters.
Sullivan, Tim. 1993. “Australian Follower of Koresh Praises ‘Modern-Day Prophet.’” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 12, 1993, A–4.
Wessinger, Catherine. 2000. Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
—. 1994. “Varieties of Millennialism and the Issue of Authority.” In From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco, edited by James R. Lewis, 55–62, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Wright, Stuart A. 1995. Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2014 Henrik Bogdan and James R. Lewis
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bradley, M.S. (2014). Gender among the Branch Davidians. In: Bogdan, H., Lewis, J.R. (eds) Sexuality and New Religious Movements. Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137386434_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137386434_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-68146-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-38643-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Religion & Philosophy CollectionPhilosophy and Religion (R0)