Gendered Role Performances in Patriarchal NRMs: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Twelve Tribes

Research on New Religious Movements (NRMs) has generally examined gender within two contexts: conversion into the movement and gender role variation across groups. Similarly, a robust body of literature has studied the ways women navigate traditional gender roles across a wide swath of settings from formal organizations (Hochschild 1979, 1983) to abusive relationships (Summers-Effler 2004), but the NRMs literature has largely disregarded this micro-level dynamic. This research draws on ethnographic data, including participant observation and in-depth interviews, to examine gendered role performances and impression and emotion management in one communal NRM, the Twelve Tribes, in order to examine the daily interactions that uphold the movement and contribute to member longevity. The findings show that women within this setting use language as a defensive strategy, while simultaneously constructing a structured defensive strategy that uses religious beliefs to protect from emotional energy losses associated with submission