Muslim Princes, Female Missionaries, and Trans-Mediterranean Migrations: The Soeurs de Saint-Joseph de l'Apparition in Tunisia, c. 1840-1881

This chapter explores the history of the Soeurs de Saint Joseph de l'Apparition by situating the congregation within the larger context of nineteenth-century imperialism and transnational migrations in Tunisia and the Mediterranean more generally. A variety of factors-from war to shifting labor markets-shaped the missionary sisters' methods. Focusing on teaching and medical work both intersected with the needs of trans- Mediterranean migration and won the patronage of the Husaynid Dynasty (reigned 1705-1956). The order's founder and her sisters ceaselessly importuned court officials for assistance in finding suitable residences, which, in a city such as Tunis, then experiencing massive immigration and thus housing shortages, was key to permanent settlement.