Intimate Connections
摘要
This chapter explores the active role of European Moravian women missionaries in the Caribbean, particularly their efforts to evangelize enslaved Black populations. Focusing on Veronica Bohner, Maria Martin Nitschmann, and Molly Waters, the study shifts the lens from viewing these women merely as wives of male missionaries to recognizing their significant contributions to mission work. These women engaged in intimate, gender-specific forms of proselytization, often in private, feminine spaces, ministering to Black women, managing spiritual care, and addressing issues such as polygamy and witchcraft. Their work in the Caribbean involved building personal, supportive relationships with both enslaved women and plantation owners, using their roles as caregivers, educators, and spiritual guides to establish lasting connections. Despite their pivotal roles, their contributions were often obscured in the historical record, as they lacked the authority to baptize and were overshadowed by the men in the mission. Through an examination of their experiences, the chapter highlights the complex power dynamics at play and challenges the conventional understanding of Moravian missions by emphasizing the importance of intimate, relational forms of evangelism. The women’s work, while often unacknowledged, was instrumental in shaping the Moravian Church’s expansion and its intersection with enslaved Black populations in the Atlantic world.