Women in the Sanctuary Movement - Women in the Political Economy

The sanctuary movement in the United States began in the 1980s in response to growing numbers of Central American refugees seeking political asylum. While the media portray male clerics as the leaders of this religious-based political movement, women outnumber men at all levels of organization. Using twenty-nine in-depth interviews with women involved in eight local sanctuary sites, Robin Lorentzen explores the workings of the sanctuary movement; the reasons for their commitment to this illegal activity; the relationship between their activism, liberation theology, and feminism; and the tensions among the women and between women and men in the movement.

Lorentzen documents how womenprimarily white, middle-class housewives and nunsactually produce the movement in religious and community settings, mobilizing family, church, and community resources to reconstruct the refugeesâ lives. This richly detailed ethnographic study is supported throughout with colorful excerpts from the authorâs interviews with participants. The women themselves relate the intense commitment, frenetic preparation, heartrending joy, and exhaustive burnout that constantly accompany their involvement with the refugees, Lorentzen explores the inherent tensions between humanitarian and political impulses within this woman-based movement and describes the challenges faced by various religious and civic communities. Author note:

Robin Lorentzen teaches Sociology in the Anthropology/Sociology Department at Albertson College of Idaho.