This collection brings together scholarly and creative pieces that reveal how the intellectual, emotional, and physical work of mothering is informed by women’s religiosities and spiritualities. Its contributors examine contemporary and historical perspectives on religious and spiritual mothering through interdisciplinary research, feminist life writing, textual analyses, and creative non-fiction work. In contrast to the bulk of feminist scholarship which marginalizes women’s religious and spiritual knowledges, this volume explores how such epistemologies fundamentally shape the lived experiences of diverse mothers across the globe. In emphasizing the empowerment and enrichment that women derive from their religious beliefs and spiritual worldviews, Angels on Earth invites readers to cultivate a deeper understanding of how mothers are transforming their local communities, religious institutions, and broader spiritual traditions.

Vanessa Reimer is a PhD candidate in York University’s Graduate Program in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies. She is the co-editor of Mother of Invention: How Our Mothers Influenced us as Feminist Academics and Activists (Reimer and Sahagian 2013). Her research interests include feminist studies in religion, girlhood, and mothering.

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