Oxford University Press, 2018
For Mexican Catholic women in the United States, devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe-La Virgen—is a necessary aspect of their cultural identity. In this masterful ethnography, María Del Socorro Castañeda considers three generations of Mexican-origin women between the ages of 18 and 82. She examines the Catholic beliefs the women inherited from their mothers and how these beliefs become the template from which they first learn to see themselves as people of faith. She also offers a comprehensive analysis of how Catholicism creates a culture in which Mexican-origin women learn how to be "good girls" in a manner that reduces their agency to rubble.
To purchase the book click on the link: Our Lady of Everyday Life: La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Catholic Imagination of Mexican Women in America, Oxford University Press, 2018
BOOK REVIEWS
"This is the single most important book ever written in the sociology of religion on Mexican American women's popular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. A must read!"—Dr. Gastón Espinosa, Arthur V. Stoughton Professor of Religion, Claremont McKenna College and author of Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States
"Many other works have centered on Guadalupe herself, but few have studied the devotion among real-life women, and across generations. Castañeda has authored a very important contribution to religious studies, and to theology as well. This book is thoroughly researched, well argued, clearly written."—Dr. Orlando O. Espín, University Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego and author of The Faith of the People: Theological Reflections on Popular Catholicism
"Our Lady of Everyday Life powerfully demonstrates how religion works alongside race, class, gender, and sexuality to shape Chicana/Latina women's subjectivity."—Dr. Tricia C. Bruce, author of Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church
Our Lady of Brave Change, Bearings Maganize by Dr. Castañeda
In this article I share the life lessons I learned from the women I interviewed for my book, Our Lady of Everyday Life.
“Our Lady of Everyday Life”: La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Religious Lives of Mexican Catholic Women Dr. Melissa Borja interviews Dr. Castañeda about her book. December 12, 2019
This interview walks the reader through the major topics I address in my book, Our Lady of Everyday Life.
Every year millions of miracle-seeking pilgrims visit Mexico City by Nina Strochlic, Photographs by Samantha Cabrera Friend, The National Geographic
The National Geographic interviewed and quoted Dr. Castañeda’s research on Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Thomas Landy, Catholics and Cultures
Dr. Castañeda’s research on Our Lady of Guadalupe was quoted by Catholics and Cultures
I Now Smile More
Lupita’s forthcoming book, in a beautiful and uplifting way, I Now Smile More, not only tells the story about a young girl and her experience of having divorced parents, but it illustrates how she bravely handles the experience.
