Gendered and genderless constructions of religious identity in a Charismatic community of practice (original) (raw)
Related papers
Critical Research on Religion, 2021
Drawing on the scholarship of Critical Religion, this article shows how the modern category “religion” operates through a gender code which upholds its discursive power and enables the production of religious—and therefore racial—hierarchies. Specifically, it argues that mentioning religion automatically makes gender present in discourse. Acknowledging religion as an inherently gendered category in this way gives further insight into the discursive power and functioning of the religious label. With the example of the Westphalian production of the “myth of religious violence” and the employment of “religion” in colonial contexts, I demonstrate how a gender code upholds and enables the discursive power of religion. Religion is both gendered (as part of the Western public/private binary) and gendering (in colonial contexts vis-à-vis non-Christian, non-White religions). Acknowledging the multiple ways in which religion is gendered and gendering, then, has important bearings on the analysis of religion’s racializing function which is upheld and aided by the gender code through which religion is spoken.
Alternation - Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, 2020
Pentecostal Christianity is one of the most dynamic 21 st century religions in Southern Africa. The practices enacted within Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe reflect ambivalence where empowerment of women is concerned. Subsequently, the interplay of religion, spirituality and masculinities in the subjugation of women is an enduring concern, hence, an opportunity for the church to redress the apparent gender injustices that compromise the wellbeing of women. The prevailing situation concerning Pentecostal deliverance altar calls in particular, illustrates gender prejudice, due to the pervasive nature of dominant masculinities and their manifestation in the deployment of the deliverance altar call. We argue that the nature and execution of spiritual rituals such as the Pentecostal deliverance altar call raises more questions than it solves problems. This paper problematises the ambivalent discourses that emanate from crowd-pulling deliverance altar calls that promise relief to individuals in all forms of turmoil, from disease to poverty, in two Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe: the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) and the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA). Findings established that the current deliverance altar calls inevitably relegated women to the periphery, where they are perpetually presumed to be in need of rescue. Furthermore, the altar calls targeted women through a gender-biased practice we have termed feminisation of evil, a practice driven by dominant masculinities in leadership.
2021
This paper investigates the performances members of the Moments of Glory Prayer Army (MOGPA), a Pentecostal church in Ghana, display at meetings and how such performances are gendered. Using gender performativity theory and ethnographic design anchored on participant observations, interviews and focus group discussions, the paper reveals that members displayed gendered performances during MOGPA meetings through the frames of prayer, exorcism, testimonies and oblation. However, there were also instances during which individuals engaged in performances that seemed to subvert the normal gender roles regularly subscribed to and acknowledged by society. The study concludes that the performances displayed by social actors at MOGPA meetings were highly gendered and, subsequently, reinforces the gender roles and performances in the church in particular and the society in general.
An intersectional study of how gender shapes experience and identity in religion
With reference to intersectionality, how does gender shape experience and identity in religion? Discuss at least two religious traditions. Gender takes diverse forms in shaping experience and identity in all religions. The way in which an individual is gendered may have huge consequences for how they practice their religion, experience life, and view themselves as religious people. Identifying these ways poses difficulties beginning with the fact that religion itself is difficult to define, and there are a variety of ways in which "gender" can be interpreted. Some scholars question whether or not-"rooted" as gender is "in a conceptual terrain that does not necessarily cross the borders of its birthplace"it is even relevant in some contexts at all (Hawthorne 2017:46). Other scholars argue that gender is so "deeply embedded" in religion that the two are almost inseparable until one decides to put effort into untangling them (King & Beattie 2005:3). What is undeniable is that the gendering of individual religious practitioners, when it happens, remains a significant shaper or category of influence in their lives, affecting how they worship, how they honour the divine in behaviour and dress, and even how they "image" God. The most influential scholars of gender theory today understand gender as preceding biological sex, arguing that gender as a social category is the deciding factor for the classification of humans, more so than biological sex "assigned at birth" (Butler 1990). There is good reason for this recognition, considering the experience of intersex and transgender people. Unfortunately, the gendered experiences of LGBTQI+ people in their religious lives cannot be done justice to within the word count of this essay-which is already attempting to address the intersections of race, class, ethnicity and culture in the gendered and sexed religious experiences and identities of cisheterosexual women within Islam and Catholicism-but I hope to include explorations of the intersections of sexual minorities and queer theory in future work. Many religious groups oppose the newer understanding of gender as preexisting and performative because of their theological anthropology. The official doctrines surrounding
Sacred femininity and authority: Gender stratification of neoshamanic groups
In all Western countries neoshamanic groups share an important characteristic: statistics demonstrate significant prevalence of women. On the other side, neoshamanic groups have an inner power dynamics related to gender. Some authors argue that in small religious groups without charismatic leaders strong personalities may appear charismatic and occupy positions of high status. Such gender dynamics have been historically associated with a positional advantage to males, although in such settings charisma might be decoupled from gender characteristics that tend to disadvantage women. The article presents the results of research conducted in a neoshamanic group in Bratislava belonging to the FSS (Foundation for Shamanic Studies). In this environment charismatic authority has been for a long time absent: according to the concept of core shamanism, being a shaman does not mean to have a 'gift' and a leader is usually represented as a person who is just more skilled than other group members. However, during recent decades there was a process of group stratification that resulted in a formation of new groups and an emergence of male charismatic leaders who initially did not represent themselves as charismatic. Current male leaders' self-representations usually refer to inner qualities related to a combination of the particular stereotypical gender characteristics. I argue that this image corresponds to (1) intuitive way of knowledge/ emotions related to female characteristics and (2) an active position of urban shamans related to male characteristics. This combination follows from the specific ideology of urban shamanism as a kind of alternative healing aimed at the transformation of individuals and the society.
The Fluid Movement of the Spirit: (Re)Conceptualizing Gender in Pentecostalism
Journal of Religious Ethics, 2022
Claiming close to 800 million adherents, Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious community in the world; nevertheless, the movement remains underresearched, encouraging more academic investment. This article takes on this task by exploring Pentecostalism regarding gender and sex. Why have Pentecostals ardently supported gender normativity? Why have Pentecostal denominations in the United States adamantly opposed the recent Equality Acts bill? This essay's argument is that Pentecostal belief and practice, rooted in theology and pneumatology, actually denounce gender bifurcation, supporting instead fluid movement with the Holy Spirit into and out of gender performances. Judith Butler's performance theory, Sarah Coakley's Trinitarian theology, and Lisa Stephenson's imago Spiritus frame the overall argument. As Paul declares, there is no longer male or female in Christ.