Hail Mary?: The Struggle for Ultimate Womanhood in

The Struggle for Maryexamines the sexist and misogynist themes that underlie the socially constructed religious imagery of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Maurice Hamington explores the sources for three prominent Marian images: Mary as the "the blessed Virgin," Mary, the "Mediatrix"; and Mary, "the second Eve." Hamington critiques these images for the valorization of sexist forces with the Catholic Church that serve to maintain systems of oppression against women. In challenging dominant, religious representations of Mary, Hamington surveys a variety of emerging reinterpretations of Mary. He then providesa framework for further study of "non-alienating" images of Mary. Combining a comprehensive feminist analysis and social-constructionist approach to the study of Mary and Marian imagery, Hamington also considers new applications of feminist theories to Marian imagery as well as a pro-feminist alternative to the tradition of Mary. This unique and critical work provides aground-breaking--and controversial--examination of Mary.