Dr. Mercy Oduyoye is the Ninth Annual Patricia Reif Lecture speaker and will present “Women and Violence in Africa: the Plight of Widows and the Churches Response” on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 7pm at the Mudd Theater on the Claremont School of Theology campus. Oduyoye is Africa’s foremost feminist theologian whose contributions have greatly impacted worldviews on gender and religion. I am familiar with Oduyoye’s work and today had the honor to meet her in person and have a one on one conversation about violence against women, feminism, and religion.
Oduyoye was incredibly gracious and entertained all my questions about her work, her insights in regards to violence against women, and her thoughts about feminism and religion and where the field is going. She explained that although some believe feminism is dead, the marginalization of women continues to be a serious issue. Although the issues women face change over time, women continue to be oppressed. According to Oduyoye, we must recognize that the issues women faced 50 years ago are different from the issues women face today; however this does not mean that gender-based inequalities have seized to exist. Rather, it means that the culture has manifested itself in a new way. We must come to recognize this and continue to work towards the eradication of gender-based violence. Continue reading “Dr. Mercy Oduyoye and the Ninth Annual Patricia Reif Lecture By Gina Messina-Dysert”
Feminism and Religion 