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{ "item_title" : "Do Penance or Perish", "item_author" : [" Frances Finnegan "], "item_description" : "Frances Finnegan traces the development of Ireland's Magdalen Asylums, homes that were founded in the mid-nineteenth century for the detention of prostitutes undergoing reform. The inmates of these asylums were discouraged--and many forcibly prevented--from leaving and sometimes were detained for life. Put to work without pay in adjoining laundries, these women were subject to penance, harsh discipline, enforced silence, and prayer. As the numbers of prostitutes began to dwindle, the church looked elsewhere for this free labor, targeting other fallen women such as unwed mothers and wayward or abused girls. Some were incarcerated simply for being too beautiful, and therefore in danger of sin. Others were mentally retarded. Most of them were brought to the asylums by their families or priests. Unbelievably, the last of these asylums was closed in 1996. Drawing on previously unpublished material, Finnegan presents case histories of individual women and their experiences in Magdalen homes, which claimed some 30,000 women in all. She looks at the social consequences of such a system, and ponders how it was able to survive into the late twentieth century, right through the feminist campaign for women's rights. Do Penance or Perish is the first study of this shameful episode in Irish history. ", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/19/517/460/0195174607_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "53.00", "online_price" : "53.00", "our_price" : "53.00", "club_price" : "53.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }
Do Penance or Perish|Frances Finnegan
Do Penance or Perish : Magdalen Asylums in Ireland
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Overview

Frances Finnegan traces the development of Ireland's Magdalen Asylums, homes that were founded in the mid-nineteenth century for the detention of prostitutes undergoing reform. The inmates of these asylums were discouraged--and many forcibly prevented--from leaving and sometimes were detained for life. Put to work without pay in adjoining laundries, these women were subject to penance, harsh discipline, enforced silence, and prayer. As the numbers of prostitutes began to dwindle, the church looked elsewhere for this free labor, targeting other "fallen" women such as unwed mothers and wayward or abused girls. Some were incarcerated simply for being "too beautiful," and therefore in danger of sin. Others were mentally retarded. Most of them were brought to the asylums by their families or priests. Unbelievably, the last of these asylums was closed in 1996. Drawing on previously unpublished material, Finnegan presents case histories of individual women and their experiences in Magdalen homes, which claimed some 30,000 women in all. She looks at the social consequences of such a system, and ponders how it was able to survive into the late twentieth century, right through the feminist campaign for women's rights. Do Penance or Perish is the first study of this shameful episode in Irish history.

Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780195174601
  • ISBN-10: 0195174607
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
  • Publish Date: April 2004
  • Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.06 x 0.84 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 0.95 pounds
  • Page Count: 256

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