In the following diploma thesis I introduce (female) monasticism as a social phenomenon and provide detailed descriptions of all its constituent elements. In order to understand (female) monasticism as a social phenomenon we have to understand its hierarchical structure2 in the broad sense. At the bottom of the pyramid we find the female members of the religious orders – nuns –, and at the very top of the pyramid we find the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) as the umbrella organisation under whose authority religious orders and nuns work. Orders are classified as religious organisations and present an integral part of the RKC structure. Women in the RKC cannot acquire the status of priest, making female orders exclusively lay. By joining a religious order you can guarantee yourself a respectful social status. Monasticism is, in fact, not regarded as something ordinary in society but instead as something special and (sometimes) superior. There are two types of religious orders, active and contemplative. Monks and nuns in active religious orders can be actively involved in their local communities, whereas those in contemplative religious orders are isolated from their environment. In this diploma thesis I present the role of women within the RKC. Through interviews, which represent the “voice” of nuns, I describe the relationship between monasticism and the Slovenian public sphere – from discrimination, the influence of monasticism, the successfulness of nuns fulfilling their purposes, to the changes in monasticism, etc.
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