The “Third Wave” is Digital: Researching Histories of Women Religious in the Twenty-first Century

The article provides a review of scholarship on the history of women religious, a discussion of the current status of the field, and a consideration of the next “wave” in scholarship. Scholars have determined the characteristics of the first and second waves in the field, focusing mainly on sources and methods. This article argues that the next wave is a digital wave and will involve harnessing technological tools. Some of the ways in which researchers can engage with the growing area of Digital Humanities are examined, and the article concludes with reference to this author’s own research, including the use of GIS, data visualizations, high-speed computation of data, and the development of small-scale digital history projects, including the “virtual reunification” of dispersed documents by women religious.