Faculty of Divinity, Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies

Religion and Gender

Theology and Religious Studies, like many other subjects, has seen a rise in interest over the past decade in what was formerly known as 'feminist' or 'women's' studies - a subject that is more accurately called 'gender' studies. The Faculty of Divinity has scholars of international renown in all branches of Christian theology as well as a growing and distinguished team of lecturers in the fields of Jewish, Islamic and Hindu studies. An increasing number of research students would like to work on projects which fall within one of the more traditional branches of Theology or Religious Studies, but which will involve gender studies as well. To assist such students, wherever their principal focus lies, the Faculty would like to create a post in Gender and Religion as soon as it has the funding to do so.

Funding Need

The primary need is for someone who can, within a young field, develop and direct research. This post would, therefore, be at the level of Assistant Director of Research, whose principal responsibilities would lie, within CARTS, in the development of research in religious aspects of gender studies and in helping the present lecturers direct the studies of the increasing number of graduate students (both at doctoral and M.Phil. levels) who wish to work on projects in this area. In addition, it is hoped that the ADR would be able to offer assistance with undergraduate teaching and so broaden the courses available at this level.

The estimated cost to support this post for five years is approximately 250,000 If you would be interested in discussing how to fund such a post, please contact Ms Rosalind Paul .

Conferences

'Is religion good for women?'

A very successful open Forum was held in London on 31 October 1996 on the theme 'Is religion good for women?' The speakers were:

Dr Onora O'Neill, Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge (Presenter)
Angela Tilby, Senior Producer, Faculty Programmes, B.B.C. (Chair)
Leila Badawi, Associate Editor - Islamic Banker, South
Lynne Franks, P.R. Consultant
Baroness Flather, House of Lords
Professor Morna Hooker, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge
Rabbi Julia Neuberger
Dr Janet Soskice, University Lecturer in Modern Theology, University of Cambridge

'Sexing the Liturgy'

To follow up this success, a conference was held in Cambridge on 16 and 17 March 1998 on the theme of Gender and Liturgy.

Liturgy does not exist in a vacuum. Like all that is sacred, it has its life within the social, political and secular context in which it develops. Liturgies are read, sung, danced or performed by men and women who belong to communities other than religious ones, and whose affiliations extend beyond the institutions of organised religion. Liturgies are complex symbolic systems mapped onto other complex symbolic systems. In the wake of feminism, many of these other symbolic systems - those contained in our homes, our places of work, and in the institutions which maintain them - have been scrutinised for male bias or gender blindness. Social and political transformations have occurred and are occurring still. We must either acknowledge that our liturgies too must change and seek ways to change them, or we must show why they should remain unaffected.

This mini-conference addressed the questions raised by gender for contemporary liturgical activity. Already within some religious cultures there has been considerable debate. This conference provided a focus for the assessment of that debate and forum where people from different religious traditions could explore its broader social, political and theological implications together.

The speakers were:

Baroness James of Holland Park (the novelist P.D. James - keynote speaker)
Professor Ann Loades (Durham - Chair)
Dr Catherine Pickstock (Emmanuel College, Cambridge)
Mrs Sarah Robinson (Jewish Chaplaincy, Cambridge)
Dr Thupten Jinpa (Girton College, Cambridge)
Dr Simonetta Calderini (Roehampton Institute, London)
Dr C. Ram-Prasad (Trinity College, Oxford)
Dr Nathalie Watson (Ripon College, Cuddesdon)
Rabbi Alexandra Wright (Radlett and Bushey Reform Synagogue)
Ms Maleiha Malik (King's College, London)

Future Study

Because of lack of funding, no major conferences or projects are planned for the immediate future. However, a lecture series on Gender and Religion will be given by Dr Janet Martin Soskice in the Lent Term 2002. Please see the Faculty's Lecture List for details.

Cambridge Contact

Dr Peter Harland, Faculty of Divinity, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9BS. email: administrator@divinity.cam.ac.uk

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