Religious women, mystic journeys and agency in early modern Spain

This article examines the narratives of female mystic journeys that were sometimes included in the biographies and the autobiographies of religious women printed in Spain between the mid-sixteenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century. By showing the ability of women to convert non-Christians in Asia, North Africa and America, and to defend the Catholic faith in Europe, the texts provide the opportunity to examine idealized models of female religious engagement from an unusual angle.