Feminism, Gender Studies & Religion: Feminism & Religion

"The dominant theme of post-Holocaust Jewish theology has been that of the temporary hiddenness of God, interpreted either as a divine mystery or, more commonly, as God's deferral to human freedom. But traditional Judaic obligations of female presence, together with the traditional image of the Shekhinah as a figure of God's 'femaleness' accompanying Israel into exile, seem to contradict such theologies of absence. The Female Face of God in Auschwitz, the first full-length feminist theology of the Holocaust, argues that the patriarchal bias of post-Holocaust theology becomes fully apparent only when women's experiences and priorities are brought into historical light. Building upon the published testimonies of four women imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau - Olga Lengyel, Lucie Adelsberger, Bertha Ferderber-Salz and Sara Nomberg-Przytyk - it considers women's distinct experiences of the holy in relation to God's perceived presence and absence in the camps." - Routledge

"Asian women comprise more than a quarter of the world's population, and the forms in which they express feminist theology are many and varied, extending through grassroots movements, theological networks, ecumenical conferences and journals. Those involved in the process include community organizers, theological students, church leaders and social activists, among whom even the concept 'feminism' assumes many definitions and substitutes. Kwok Pui-lan's introduction to this huge subject begins with a survey of the social, political and cultural contexts of Asian women's experiences, and then traces the emergence of feminist consciousness and the organization of women's networks. She describes the resources of Asian feminist theology and the appropriation of Asian religious traditions, and considers the reconstructions of the concept of God in inclusive categories. Finally, she summarizes Asian women's critique of the patriarchal church and outlines the search for a new spirituality that express women's embodiedness and sexuality." - Bloomsbury T&T Clark

This pioneering volume defines the contours of the emerging engagements of Muslim women scholars from around the world with the authoritative interpretive traditions of Islam, classical and contemporary. Muslima theology, here broadly defined to encompass a range of interpretive strategies and perspectives arising from multiple social locations, interrogates Islamic scripture and other forms of religious discourse to empower Muslim women of faith to speak for themselves in the interests of gender justice. Contributions provide an overview of the field at this juncture-ranging from pioneering Muslim scriptural feminism to detailed analyses of legal and mystical texts by a new international cohort of Muslim women academics and activists. Contemporary female Muslim "constructivist" approaches articulate concerns with diversity, including race and religious pluralism, paralleling developments in womanist and mujerista readings of religious texts." - Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

"Five women have served as leaders of Muslim countries, namely Megawati Sukarnoputri (Vice President of Indonesia, 1991-2001 and President 2002-4), Benazir Bhutto (PM of Pakistan, 1988-90 and 1993-6), Sheikh Hasina (PM of Bangladesh, 1996-2001), Khaleda Zia (PM of Bangladesh, 1991-5 and 2001-6) and Tansu Çiller (PM of Turkey, 1993-6). This is an extraordinary record and somewhat of a challenge to the widespread perception that Muslim women are oppressed.
Four of the women belonged to political families by birth or marriage, raising interesting questions about the extent to which this played a role alongside their skills and personal qualities in their rise to power. To what degree did culture rather than Islam aid and abet their roles, or indeed is it sustainable to distinguish Islam from culture.
This study of the role of these five powerful Muslim women uses their life and work to explore relevant issues, such as the role of culture, gender in Islam and the nature of the Islamic state." - Bloomsbury Publishing

Simone de Beauvoir’s masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of “woman,” and a groundbreaking exploration of inequality and otherness. This long-awaited new edition reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English translation. Vital and groundbreaking, Beauvoir’s pioneering and impressive text remains as pertinent today as it was sixty years ago, and will continue to provoke and inspire generations of men and women to come.

"This inspiring book introduces the psychologies of womanists and mujeristas—African American women and Latinas, respectively, who have a broad and inclusive approach to feminism and liberation. Womanist and mujerista values and worldviews emphasize resiliency, strength, activism, self-expression, creativity, spirituality/connection, self-definition, and liberation of all oppressed people. As opposed to much general psychology literature that pathologizes or marginalizes the experiences of African American women and Latinas, this book centralizes their experiences and unpacks the underexplored areas of their historical and contemporary ways of knowing and approaches to living. The chapters integrate findings from multiple disciplines to explore psychology, spirituality, creativity, activism, counseling, healing, research, and leadership from a womanist and mujerista perspective." - American Psychological Association

"In the world that created the Bible, there were no female scholars and theologians; yet since World War II, owing to such stunning discoveries as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi texts and to advances in historical understanding, a new generation of scholars has found new ways of reading the Scriptures - including querying the role that male divines have traditionally assigned to women, both those who populate the Bible and those living in the modern world. Surveying the new scholarship and the personalities of those who have created it, The Word According to Eve not only explores afresh the history of our religions but offers exciting new challenges to our sense of worship." - Mariner Books