The Historians of Women Religious in Britain and Ireland (H-WRBI) annual conference will be held on 22-23 August 2008 at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Papers are invited on the theme of ‘Women Religious and the Political World’.

How do women religious conceive the political world? What kinds of political activity (in the broadest sense) do women religious engage in?

Topics might include, but are not limited to:

Missionary work
Political activism and participation
Internal politics of the order
Impact of the political world on communities of women religious
Literary/visual political engagements

H-WRBI encourages papers on consecrated women from all historical periods, from medieval and early modern through to the present, and from different religious traditions within the history of Britain and Ireland. Postgraduate students are particularly welcome.

Papers should be 20 minutes long.

Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be sent by 31 March 2008 to:

Dr. Marie-Louise Coolahan,
Department of English,
National University of Ireland, Galway
Email: marielouise.coolahan@nuigalway.ie