• What are two key objectives of feminist theology? Illustrate with examples from a specific religious tradition.

• What are the two key issues of gender studies? Explain using examples from two specific religions.

• Explain Mary Daly’s theory of ideology and gender and religion using The Lion King.

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9.2: Gender

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Today• Gender:

➡ Feminism and theology

➡ Gender bias

➡ Theories:❖ Hermeneutics of suspicion (Fiorenza)❖ Ideologies of gender (Daly)❖ “The symbolic” (Irigaray)❖ Traditional values (Shukrallah)❖ Agency (Asad + Nye + Spivak)

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Field Research Analysis

• Gender includes everyone

➡ Observe ALL the people

➡ Who does which jobs? What do people wear? Who speaks? Who doesn’t speak?

➡ Then see if there are PATTERNS

• Gender is not self-evident

➡ Be careful about assumptions

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Feminist?

• Equal rights and opportunities

• Equal representation

➡ Politics, media, business, religions, etc.

• Look for patterns!

• Sample test: imagine genders reversed

➡ Try it yourself: online identities

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Feminist Theology• Diverse

• Promote gender equality

• Critique religious traditions, texts, teachings, etc., that promote harmful gender constructions + power relations

• Recover/identify religious traditions, texts, teachings, etc., that promote equitable/positive gender constructions + power relations

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• “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

• “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.” (Matthew 22:2)

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Christianity: God Symbols

• [Jesus said: . . .] “Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Matthew 23:37)

• “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)

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Christianity: God Symbols

“Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.

For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived

and became a transgressor.”

(New Testament: I Timothy 2:11-15)

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Christianity: Gender + Power

“In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. . . .

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and

female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

(New Testament: Galatians 3:27–28)

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Christianity: Gender + Power

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Kali(Hinduism)

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• Darlene Juschka

• Feminism in the Study of Religion: A Reader

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Rachel Parris: feminism

17By Kate Beaton

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Gender Bias• Movies

➡ Bechdel Test, “Where the Girls Aren’t”

• Equal pay for equal work

➡ University professors!

• Study of scientific abstracts

• Orchestras

• Course evaluations 22

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Are You Biased?

• Implicit Association Test:

➡https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

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Who was the central character in

Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

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#WheresRey

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#WheresRey Gender

• Two key issues:

1. Gender + power (usually about patriarchy)

2. Gender constructions (women AND men)

• Role of religion?

➡ Gender and power

➡ Gender constructions

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Gender Theories

• Hermeneutics of suspicion (Fiorenza)

• Ideologies of gender (Daly)

• “The symbolic” (Irigaray)

• Traditional values (Shukrallah)

• Agency (Asad + Nye + Spivak)

• Sex + gender (various)

• Gender + sexuality (Butler)

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Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza

• Hermeneutics of suspicion

➡ Be careful (suspicious!) re: sacred texts when it comes to gender

➡ Most written by men

➡ Tend to marginalize or excludewomen

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Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza

• Questions re: gender:

➡ Who wrote the text?

➡ Who is it addressed to?

➡ Who benefits from it?

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“Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.

For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived

and became a transgressor.”

(New Testament: I Timothy 2:11-15)

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Christianity

Hinduism

• “[Women] have the hearts of hyenas.” (Rig Veda)

• “Woman is untruth” (Rig Veda)

• “Women are the root of faults.” (Mahabharata)

• “Nothing else more wickeder exists than women.” (Mahabharata)

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Judaism: A.J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically

Mary Daly• Ideologies of gender + religion

➡ How religion makes the rule of men seem natural / unquestionable

➡ Relation between gender of god(s) and gender of people in power

➡ Patriarchy!

➡ Over-generalization (but still relevant much of the time)

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Song

• “New Orleans is Sinking” by The Tragically Hip (1989)

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I looked up to the Lord above and said,

“Hey man, thanks. Sometimes I feel so good I gotta scream.”

She said, “Gordy baby I know exactly what you mean.”

She said . . . she said . . . I swear to God, she said.

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“New Orleans is Sinking”

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God(s)

(Religious) Authorities

Men

Women 41

“Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of

the church . . .

Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.”

(New Testament: Ephesians 5:22-23)

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Jesus

Church

Husband

Wife

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Brahma (creator)

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Hinduism

Vishnu (preserver)

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Hinduism

Shiva (destroyer)

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Hinduism

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