Womanist Theology
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[edit] Introduction
Womanist theology is a religious movement which reconsiders the traditions, practices, scriptures, and theologies with a special lens to empower and liberate African women in America. Womanist theology associates with and departs from Feminist theology and Black theology . The former's lack of attention to the everyday realities of Black and other women of color and the latter's lack of understanding of the full dimension of liberation for the special oppressions of Black women require bringing them together in Womanist Theology. The goals of womanist theology include interrogating the social construction of black womanhood in relation to the Black community and to assume a liberatory perspective so that African American women can live emboldened lives within the African American community and within the larger society. Some of its tasks are excavating the life stories of poor women of African descent in the church and to understanding the "languages" of black women. It is strongly associated with Black feminism. Womanist theology is not only for African women; it attempts to embrace women of colour all over the world.
The term Womanist was developed by author Alice Walker in her first collection of non-fiction,In Search of Our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose (1983), and referred primarily to African-American women, but also for women in general. In her own words: “A Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender.”
The roots of modern theological womanism grew out of the theology of James Hal Cone, Jacquelyn Grant, and Delores Williams. Cone developed black theology which sought to make sense out of theology from black experience in America. In his book A Black Theology of Liberation, Cone argued that “God is black” in an effort to demonstrate that God identifies with oppressed black Americans. Then, Grant, a first generation womanist theologian, argued that Cone did not attend to the fullness of black experience – specifically that of black women. She argued that the oppression of black women is different than that of black men. Grant pointed out that black women must navigate between the three-fold oppression of racism, sexism, and classism in her books Womanist Theology and White Woman's Christ Black Women's Jesus. For her, Jesus is a “divine co-sufferer” who suffered in his time like black women today. Grant concludes that black women are more oppressed and in need of further liberation than black men and especially white women. Delores Williams took the work of theologians such as Cone and Grant and expanded upon them. She suggested that womanists theologians need to “search for the voices, actions, opinions, experience, and faith” of black women in order to experience the God who “makes a way out of no way.” In her book Sisters in the Wilderness, she defines womanism in the following way:
“Womanist theology is a prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children. Womanist theology attempts to help black women see, affirm, and have confidence in the importance of their experience and faith for determining the character of the Christian religion in the African American community. Womanist theology challenges all oppressive forces impeding black women’s struggle for survival and for the development of a positive, productive quality of life conducive to women’s and the family’s freedom and well-being. Womanist theology opposes all oppression based on race, sex, class, sexual preference, physical ability, and caste” (67).
With the increasing use of womanist theory and theology in Master of Divinity, African American Studies, and Women's Studies, programs have clearly began to incorporate womanism into university and seminary courses. One example of an educational institution that incorporates womanism in their graduate coursework is Eden Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri.
For an example of womanism in action, you can listen online to the radio show, "Womanist Power Authority - A Radio Journal" on KFAI community radio.
[edit] Etymology
The term womanish was commonly used in Black daily language by mothers to describe adolescent daughters who act outrageous and grown-up, in contrast to "girlish." "Womanist" was then developed in 1983 by Alice Walker -- Black novelist, poet, essayist, and activist -- in her collection of essays, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose.
[edit] See also
- Feminist.com Article
- "Womanist theology, epistemology, and a new anthropological paradigm" by Linda E. Thomas, in the journal Cross Currents.
- "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose" by Alice Walker, on Amazon.com
[edit] Approaches of womanist theology
Womanist theologians use a variety of methods to approach the scripture. Some attempted to find black women within biblical narrative so as to reclaim the role and identity of black people in general, and black women in specific within the Bible. Some examples are social ethicist, Cheryl Sanders and womanist theologian Karen Baker-Fletcher. Some approach the Bible 'objectively' to critically evaluate text which degrade women and people of colour and offer an African-centred form, to resist male domination and bias, or what could be termed anti-women or androcentric attitudes and forms. Others draw on resources outside the Bible to enhance the plurality and cohesion of the texts along with our life experiences and reject scripture as a whole or part which is seen to serve male interest only. These methods are not separated and can be endorsed together."Sweeney, Hyacinth "THE BIBLE AS A TOOL FOR GROWTH FOR BLACK WOMEN." Black Theology in Britain: A Journal of Contextual Praxis Nov2000, Vol. 3 Issue 5, p21"
