Making Sense of the Missionary Life of Adele Fielde, Woman of Religious Belief, Science, and Activism
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This is a fine piece on Adele Fielde. I have two comments, one having to do with style, the other a bibliographical reference. First, in Section 2, "The existing narrative," my suggestion is to use the past tense to describe her life. It's confusing when you use the present tense, especially since you use the past tense to speak of her through the rest of the article. Secondly, look at Andrew F. Walls, "The Multiple Conversions of Timothy Richard: A Paradigm of Missionary Experience" in The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History (Orbis Books, 2002), 236-258. Walls argues for a somewhat similar view of Richards, another Baptist missionary in China, as you do for Fielde.
Author Response
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Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
I thoroughly enjoyed this article. It was flawlessly written and well argued. It challenges the existing scholarship clearly and points to new interpretations. The interpretation it points to (i.e. that missionary life prepared a woman for a future career outside of the missionary movement, gave her transferable skills, etc) is an interpretation that might apply to other women in mission history - this article stimulates my thinking about that possibility, which is another wonderful aspect of this article. I also appreciate the opposition to a sacred/secular distinction that this author encourages. Lastly, I really love how the author emphasizes commitment to "human dignity, truth, and happiness." Personally, I just really resonate with this commitment and I love learning about a woman this early in the women's missionary movement having those as her top commitments.
My suggestions for improvement are these:
1. In the introduction, I wanted more quotations from the existing scholarship. Its not that I don't trust the author's interpretation, but it would be helpful to see exactly why she is arguing what she is arguing. And something that would help me here would be a direct quote from one of the books that depict the dichotomy between the missionary and the "secular activist." I also wanted in this section a quote about how her science was "acknowledged with annoyance" by fellow missionaries. Show me, don't just tell me.
2. I guess I wonder if the scholarship really is as bifurcated as you say. Is there really no one else who has seen the kinds of connections between her early life and later life? No one who has even hinted at it??
3. I think you should incorporate at least some mention of Dana Robert's book, American Women in Mission since I would guess that she is mentioned in this text or at least some helpful interpretations of missionary women, which you could interact with.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
