Melissa Browning | Mercer University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Melissa Browning
Journal of Poverty, 2009
Through examining words and phrases being used to define U.S. immigration in popular speech and p... more Through examining words and phrases being used to define U.S. immigration in popular speech and public policy, I argue that just speech is an essential component in the creation of just policy toward migrants. Particular consideration is given to the use of the word “illegal” to describe migrants and how the use of this word inhibits the moral imagination. Utilizing
Theology & Sexuality, 2013
Theology & Sexuality, 2009
As churches, non-profits, and governments look for solutions to end the African AIDS pandemic, ab... more As churches, non-profits, and governments look for solutions to end the African AIDS pandemic, abstinence has provided a seemingly quick and easy answer that is thought to carry moral weight. Yet abstinence, as it is preached and practised, is often an immoral option because it does not first consider the full agency of women. In asking why abstinence has been so readily embraced as a response to the African pandemic, assumptions of black sexuality must be brought into question. The tendency to focus on sexual morality rather than on the economic, gender, and social inequalities that cause the spread of AIDS must also be questioned. Through employing a postcolonial critique of abstinence, I argue that when abstinence as morality and abstinence as prevention collapse into one another, there is no space for women to find agency in abstinence. Instead, abstinence must be defined as "space" rather than "prohibition" in order for it to contribute to human flourishing.
Theology & Sexuality, 2010
Abstract This article explores faith-based, performance-oriented abstinence education through the... more Abstract This article explores faith-based, performance-oriented abstinence education through the lens of feminist theology by drawing on fieldwork with an urban, young adult dance and drama team whose mission is to promote abstinence through performances at ...
Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 2012
Journal of Poverty, 2009
Through examining words and phrases being used to define U.S. immigration in popular speech and p... more Through examining words and phrases being used to define U.S. immigration in popular speech and public policy, I argue that just speech is an essential component in the creation of just policy toward migrants. Particular consideration is given to the use of the word “illegal” to describe migrants and how the use of this word inhibits the moral imagination. Utilizing
Theology & Sexuality, 2013
Theology & Sexuality, 2009
As churches, non-profits, and governments look for solutions to end the African AIDS pandemic, ab... more As churches, non-profits, and governments look for solutions to end the African AIDS pandemic, abstinence has provided a seemingly quick and easy answer that is thought to carry moral weight. Yet abstinence, as it is preached and practised, is often an immoral option because it does not first consider the full agency of women. In asking why abstinence has been so readily embraced as a response to the African pandemic, assumptions of black sexuality must be brought into question. The tendency to focus on sexual morality rather than on the economic, gender, and social inequalities that cause the spread of AIDS must also be questioned. Through employing a postcolonial critique of abstinence, I argue that when abstinence as morality and abstinence as prevention collapse into one another, there is no space for women to find agency in abstinence. Instead, abstinence must be defined as "space" rather than "prohibition" in order for it to contribute to human flourishing.
Theology & Sexuality, 2010
Abstract This article explores faith-based, performance-oriented abstinence education through the... more Abstract This article explores faith-based, performance-oriented abstinence education through the lens of feminist theology by drawing on fieldwork with an urban, young adult dance and drama team whose mission is to promote abstinence through performances at ...
Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 2012