Hindu feminist theology books

Ideal for classroom instruction, discussion groups, and personal study, this volume is an exceptional, userfriendly guide to contemporary feminist thought. The uniqueness of feminist theology is its use of womens experience to expose the malecentered bias of classical theology and articulate a faith that incorporates full humanity. Not a book about a single goddess or even about a variety of south asian goddesses, the volume raises questions about images of deities as symbols and the ways in which they function. Natural theology in eastern religions in the oxford handbook of natural theology, russell re manning ed. Feminist theology jana opocenska feminist theology is a very broad subject. Uma narayan feminist scholar, and chair of philosophy at vassar college. This handbook highlights the relevance of globalization and the insights of gender studies and religious studies for feminist theology. She has written many articles and books on feminism in kannada and english. Feminist emphasis on mutuality and connectedness 1. During the 1970s and successive decades, feminist concerns impelled her to rethink historical theology, analyzing the patriarchal biases in both christianity and judaism that elevated male gender at the expense of women. Feminist theology examines the meaning and implications of christian faith from the perspective of a commitment to justice for females. Books about feminist theology what should i read next. Before attempting to answer to the question above, there are a few things you should know. A challenge to pope francis university essay on feminist theology creation.

How can feminist theology reduce gender inequality in. Includes professional journals, conference papers, books, government reports, theses. One major loud response to the marginalization of female gender. Human liberation in a feminist perspectivea theology. Firstly, it describes the main features of this modern theological development and examines what its major concerns and questions have been, helping students and teachers to understand its place in the context of contemporary theology as a whole. Hindu feminism is the feminism suited to india, it simply wants indian men to become more aware of the emotional needs and ambitions of their women thereby making it easier for women to feel. Some of the goals of feminist theology include increasing the ro. The cambridge companion to feminist theology cambridge. Its a big conversation involving women and men from across christian denominations sharing their thoughts in everything from scholarly dissertations to blogs and popular books. To this end, feminist theology seeks ways to eliminate patriarchal concepts that are related to ancient culture while leaving the intended message unharmed.

Aug 21, 2008 the syncretism of the new age wisdom feminist spirituality, and the growing strength of the marxist liberationist theology and its feminist and gay successors, has constructed what rieff calls a. Amish tripathi is known for his modern retellings of hindu myths, many of which are bestsellers, but his. Contains essays on goddesses in hinduism and bud dhism and goddess. Women and religious traditions analyzes women and religion in the context of the major world religious traditions. Sara maitland is a feminist theologian and novelist who has been writing about women and christianity since the 1970s. Academic staff the oxford centre for hindu studies. Rosemary ruether is now at work on a book applying feminist principles to the traditional. Recommended for anyone interested in feminism, hinduism, andor theology. Contributors examine white feminist theology s misappropriations of native north american women, chinese footbinding, and veiling by muslim women, as well as the jewish emancipation in france, the symbolic dismemberment of black women by rap and sermons, and the potential to rewrite and reclaim canonical stories. Feminists in the west often draw upon south asian goddesses as theological.

The field of hindu mythology, and indeed indian publishing itself, is maledominated. The experience of praying with siddur nashim the first jewish prayer book to refer to god. The goddesses of hinduism and buddhism represent the largest extant collection of living goddesses anywhere on the planet. The 1970s also saw the emergence of this theology from among the christian dalits, that is, those broken, downtrodden, destroyed by the nefarious system of discrimination between the socalled high, low, and scheduled castes in india. Feminism and the development of feminist theology topical literatures in feminist theology feminism and womanist theology the religious leadership of women responses and recent developments. Hindu goddess as feminist is problematic at the present. The early history, framed by a sacrificial world view and veering toward an almost mechanistic understanding of gods and.

As used in hindu philosophy, the differentiation between astika and nastika does not refer to theism or atheism. This chapter charts the history of 30 years of study, research and teaching in feminist theology in the uk. Hyun hui kim phd student in theological and philosophical studies in the field of theological studies, feminist theologies emerging from asiathe socalled asian feminist theologiesseem to be controversial even in name, because the term, feminist, connotes their as having been promoted by middleclass european and american women kwok puilan, 2005. According to this position, referring to god as he, him, or father degrades the status of women. Asian feminist theology drew theological school drew. People might be interested to read a map of the new country. Valerie saiving, isaac bonewits 1976 and naomi goldenberg 1979 introduced the concept as a neologism new word in feminist terms. Women religious and christian feminism by jill robson the following text is the result of several conversations and a continuing dialogue between two women friends, one a lay person and the other a religious sister. Asra nomani indianamerican journalist, author of standing alone in mecca. Feminist reflection within a religious tradition is usually first sparked by womens resentment of their secondary and peripheral status in all the worlds major religious traditions. Feminist theologies generally take up two separate but interrelated tasks these same tasks are also major topics in christian feminist theology. Nor are there any courses on hindu theology or hindu feminist theology, terms which, as we saw earlier, have limited purchase. Its use then widened to mean all feminine ideas of the sacred, which charlotte caron usefully explained in 1993.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Medha patkar feminist social worker and politician who advocates for womens rights in postindependence india. Feminist theology and islam is also used to strengthen the spiritual connection to the women of islam when they undergo severe trauma, to promote human rights especially those of women. Interestingly, in indian theological seminaries hinduism is studied as a subject more in a missionary sense, with an explicit or implicit aim of evangelizing the other. An extensive annotated bibliography invites readers to further study, presenting a wealth of books on feminist theology by many wellknown authors. Religious feminism article about religious feminism by. How have hindu theologians made room for a feminine divine alongside the. Jan 25, 2019 krishna sobtis is not a directionless, impetuous rebellion but a well thoughtout revolt against the prevailing social, cultural and literary norms. Hillgardner is to be commended for a remarkable contribution to hindu christian studies not to mention comparative theology, feminist theology, and the comparative study of mysticism. Jan 02, 2020 feminist theology often criticizes the use of male pronouns for god. I found this book to integrate latin american liberation theology, feminist theology, queer theology, and other theologies of the poor and oppressed in a way that rightfully makes clear that oppressions cannot be compartmentalized, but rather they are all part of one system. Feminist theology is a highly diverse umbrella term, and we revel in the diversity. Posts about hindu feminists written by vibha shetiya.

Anderson, nancy fix 2002 mother besant and indian national politics. Theilin phanbuh chairperson of the meghalaya state commission for women and padma shri awardee. While other religions, by definition, include some theological assumptions, exploring the nature of deity does not have the same prestige or importance in any other religion, including the other monotheistic religions. Some of the goals of feminist theology include increasing the role of women among the clergy and religious authorities, reinterpreting maledominated imagery.

Some of the goals of feminist theology include increasing the role of women among the clergy and religious authorities, reinterpreting maledominated imagery and language about. According to maitrayee chaudhuri, unlike the western feminist movement, indias movement was initiated by men, and later joined by women. Beginning with a discussion of the position of the discipline at the turn of the twentyfirst century, it seeks to present an inclusive account of feminist theology in the early twentyfirst century that acknowledges the reflection of women on religion beyond. The book covers the most relevant aspects of the hindu tradition, searching out the ecological implications of pilgrimage and sacred geography, earth and. Hindu feminism hf requests the men of india to not misuse our traditional values to dominate over women and control narratives. In keeping with the purpose of the guides to theology series, this volume is eminently clear and readable, specifically. Important arenas include the ordination of women, a new language about god, and greater denominational recognition of the needs and contributions of women. Jana opocenska, feminist theology, indian journal of. Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including buddhism, christianity, judaism, and new thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scriptures, and theologies of those religions from a feminist perspective. Savitribai phule, who started the first school for girls in india 1848.

Feminist theology religion, spiritualism, and occult it is safe to say that the five major world religions developed in the last four thousand years hinduism, buddhism, judaism, christianity, and islam have been founded, shaped, organized, defined, and run by men. List of books and articles about feminist theology online. The terms often, but not always, relate to accepting vedic literature as an authority, particularly on their teachings on self soul. The dalit theology of india last updated on tue, 02 jul 2019 feminist theology the 1970s also saw the emergence of this theology from among the christian dalits, that is, those broken, downtrodden, destroyed by the nefarious system of discrimination between the socalled high, low, and scheduled castes in india. Like their feminist counterparts all over the world, feminists in india seek gender equality. Letty mandeville russell 19292007 was a feminist theologian who taught at yale divinity schools, who also wroteedited books such as church in the round. The creation of a feminist theology the new york times. It links developments in curriculum and pedagogy to the theoretical and political changes that occurred within feminist thought and practice during that period. An anthology about feminism and postchristian goddess worship, wicca, and. Hindu feminist scholars also go beyond the reconstruction of texts but also the reestablishment of society and hinduism in practice.

Spanning centuries, continents, and religious traditions, this book juxtaposes hadewijchs and mirabais inextricable energies of longing and letting go as resources for a comparative theology of passionate nonattachment. This book is a critical guide to the scholarly exploration of feminist theology. Feminist theory and christian theology by serene jones sexism and godtalk by rosemary radford ruether white womans christ and black womans jesus by jacquelyn grant journeys by heart by rita nakashima brock. Mahasveta devi died last month at the age of 90 in kolkata, india. In this book natalie watson introduces the methods, ideas, and contributions of recent feminist theology to readers encountering the subject for the first time. An overview theology, as rational exploration of the nature and traits of god or deity, is central to christianity. Important arenas include the ordination of women, a new language about god, and greater denominational recognition of. Cambridge university press, 2002 a useful compendium of essays by leading theologians exploring feminist theology from a range of theoretical and thematic perspectives. Feminists in the west often draw upon south asian goddesses as theological resources in the contemporary rediscovery of the goddess.

May 29, 2015 like liberation theology and other selfconsciously contextual theologies, feminist biblical interpretation takes its point of departure from the lived experiences of the interpretersin this. The cambridge companion to feminist theology by susan frank parsons cambridge university press, 2002. Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including buddhism, christianity. Hinduism and feminism continue to interact symbiotically to improve the status of women in patriarchal society, building on the advances outlined above made by feminists in the 19th and 20th century. An intellectual development with profound spiritual, psychological, and political implications, it shares with christian theology in general the classic aim of faith seeking understanding, but is distinguished by two additional features. Feminist liberation theology is in essence practical theology, that is it is committed to action and reflection in a reciprocal relationship.

Hf does not support western agendas aiming at breaking india. Her rigorous scholarship has challenged many of the assumptions of traditionally maledominated christian theology. A latin american feminist liberation theology with the goal of liberating latinas native american feminist theologies theology that challenges that patriarchal, colonial history of native americans and uses oral tribal history to recover womens voices in native american religion. How indias ancient myths are being rewritten bbc culture. The volume is quite readablewithout losing any scholarly facility. Professor of comparative religion and indian studies.

Her book also reveals mirabais subversive practices of resistance to male ruleeven while worshiping a male god. Rethinking the christian faith from a womans perspective has been an important advancement in modern theology. What is feminist theology transethnic feminist theology of asia. Fatima mernissis book, the forgotten queens of islam, is a crucial piece in feminist theology for islam and how it relates to a non western state. Parkman professor of divinity professor of comparative theology. The mystery of god in feminist theological discourse by elizabeth a. Feminist theology is the study of how women relate to the divine and the world around them as equal creations in the image of god. According to sanskrit grammarian hemachandra, astika is a synonym for he who believes.

An introduction to womanist biblical interpretation by nyasha junior, sexuality and the black church. Rosemary radford reuther and feminist theology book chapter on what it means to be human in gods image mary daly. Radical feminist theologian an obituary summarising mary dalys approach to feminist theology naming god she. If it remains on the level of reflective theologising only and does not take up an advocacy stance in the struggle for a just and new society, it can rightly be accused of an utopianism which deals only. I would like to put before you what i consider essential. What is feminist theology feminist theology feminist.

Oxford handbook of feminist theology oxford handbooks. Natalie k watson, feminist theologygrand rapids, mi. Feminist theology 101 water womens alliance for theology. Examining the relation between religion and ecological concern in hinduism from textual, theological, anthropological, feminist, and ecoactivist approaches, this volume brings together an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars. Yet, these goddesses are products of a male supremacist society. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A reflection on the challenges for hindu women in the twentyfirst. It is essential, she feels, for feminist theology to link up with the history of religious thought. Popular feminist womanist theology books goodreads. Feminism in india is a set of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women in india. Adebayo assistant lecture, nigerian baptist theological seminary, ogbomoso abstract the discourse about the marginalization of women or femalegender is a general phenomenon that cut across culture, races, and generations. She wrote in her introduction to this 1974 book, this book comes out of my own. Feminist interpretation of the church,dictionary of feminist theologies,inheriting our mothers gardens. This collection of essays on feminist theology and globalization contains the following contributions.

The urgent need for queer and feminist hindu theology. The natural womans book of personal charms and prac tical rituals. Feminist theology up to 20 books are listed, in descending order of popularity at this site the dance of the dissident daughter. As some advocates would say, if god is a man, then men are gods. It is the pursuit of womens rights within the society of india. Bibiliography for feminist theology india christian theology. Oxford university press, 20 oxford university press, 20 bridges and barriers to hinduchristian relations, hinduchristian forum of britain, 2011. But feminism as an initiative by women started independently a little later in maharashtra by pioneering advocates of womens rights and education. Similarly, it could be convenient to separate the early from the classical history of hinduism and concentrate solely on the latter.