Study Feminist Theologies at the University of Divinity

“…to say that a woman may have the capacity to speak, and the intellectual ability to speak; that she may even speak as well as a man, but that she must not speak in a Church because it is a consecrated building—this means that there is something in the very nature of woman which desecrates a holy place. … whether people realise it or not, this is the belief behind the tradition which keeps woman out of the ministry. It is a belief and a tradition against which women should protest with all their strength, because it is an attack on womanhood itself.”
– Winifred Kiek, first woman to graduate from the Melbourne College of Divinity in 1924. ‘Women in the Pulpit: Christianity Stands for Sex Equality’, The Register News-Pictorial, 29 May 1929, p. 7

The Australian Collaborators in Feminist Theologies network aims to consolidate and energize the University’s commitment to the participation of women and feminist scholars in the academy.  By fostering and forwarding feminist voice and vision we aim to promote Gospel justice by addressing issues relating to gender equality, class, race, sexuality, and ability.

The Australian Collaborators Network in Feminist Theologies offers mentoring of women and feminist-identified projects, please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide further information about this or any of the courses below for which you can register here.

Mary: Feminist Theological Revisions

Lecturers
Associate Professor Katharine Massam and Reverend Professor Stephen Burns

Moving across church traditions and drawing on feminist thinkers we will explore the theological dynamics surrounding Mary the mother of Jesus. How has Mary of Nazareth been understood in various Christian communities? What is the significance of devotion to Mary for feminist theologies? And how does feminism refresh or inform an understanding of Mary?

Intensive unit: Friday evenings 6.00-9.00, Saturdays 9.30-4.30 | 13, 14 and 21 September 2019, 4 and 5 October 2019

Gender, Justice and Empire Contextual Readings of the Old Testament

Lecturer
Monica Melanchthon

This intensive five-day unit explores the relationship between issues of gender, justice and empire in Old Testament interpretation. We study a number of Old Testament texts, particularly those which narrate the experience of women within the wider social and imperial contexts. We will engage in a close reading of a range of primary Old Testament texts and contemporary feminist/ womanist and other (culturally diverse) scholarship. The approach is interdisciplinary and will provide students opportunity to study these texts alongside contemporary women’s experiences and portrayals of women in other media such as art, film, poetry, and law.

To be scheduled for Semester 1, 2020
(Intensive: 13-14, 20-21, 25 March 2020)

Thinking Otherwise Feminist Theologies

Lecturer
Cath McKinney

Explore the contribution of feminist scholarship to Christian theology. Survey the history of feminism as a term, chart the growth of significance within theological discourse since the 1980s and resistance to it. Consider the significance of feminist methods, hermeneutics and approaches to reading and interpreting Scripture. Explore the consequent impact on feminist theologising, analysis of Christian doctrine, and the understanding of Christian tradition and liturgical life. We pay particular attention to the intersection of feminism with other theologies of liberation, against structures of oppression. Considering a range of contemporary social issues, we examine the actual and potential contribution of feminist insights to shaping nuanced and vibrant theological perspectives.

To be scheduled for Semester 1, 2020
(Intensive: 4 May, 1, 8, 15 June, 3 Aug)

Feminist Theologies

The Australian Collaborators in Feminist Theologies (Feminist Theologies) aims to consolidate and energise the University’s commitment to the participation of women and feminist scholars in the academy and for the churches. By fostering and forwarding feminist voice and vision we aim to promote Gospel justice by addressing issues relating to gender equality, class, race, sexuality, and ability.

The network is supported by the University of Divinity under its Strategic Goal 3: Feminist Theologies

This goal draws on the University’s tradition as the first Australian institution to award a degree in theology to a woman (Winifred Kiek, BD (1924)) and a flagship within the academy for the significant numbers of Catholic women religious, pastoral associates and others not seeking ordination, as well as those women who (since Kiek’s ordination in 1927) have been ordained as Christian ministers in Australia. It aims to grow further the existing network of feminist scholars that seeks to enable a fresh conversation through initiatives in research, publication, mentoring, and related teaching.