Our faculty member Dr. Amanda Watson, in collaboration with Christine Gervais and Shanisse Kleuskens, has recently published a new book titled . The book delves into the untold stories of Canadian Catholic nuns resisting religious doctrine and societal norms that conflict with their feminist and social justice convictions.

"Throughout my life, I have been interested in how people carve out space for themselves and each other within institutions like the school and the church, especially when these institutions were not built for them. I grew up attending Catholic schools in Metro Vancouver, unceded traditional territories of the Katzie (q虛ic虛蓹y虛) and Kwantlen (q始史a:n虛茮始蓹n虛) First Nations. I was an enthusiastic kid, a big hand-raiser with leadership energy, and I noticed when I wasn鈥檛 allowed to serve on the altar of Catholic ceremonies. I sang in the choir and watched from the loft at the back of the church as my brothers and their friends processed down the aisle with the priest in their long robes. The seeds for Resisting Orders were planted a long time ago."

"I joined the research project for what would become Resisting Orders as a graduate student in Ottawa. Professor Christine Gervais was investigating the experiences of Canadian Catholic nuns and she hired Shanisse Kleuskens and me to help transcribe and analyze interview data. The interviews were incredibly rich as sisters and former sisters bravely told stories of pain, joy, and anger as they navigated their roles in the church. Resisting Orders reflects how, under enormous pressure from the Catholic Church, the nuns creatively resisted violence and exclusionary church doctrine through their community work. It was an honour to hear their stories and they will continue to inspire me to shake things up," says Watson.