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Year Report 1998-1999

Interdisciplinary doctoral seminar 'Women, Gender and Christian Tradition: Gaining a Perspective on Women/Gender Studies'


On the initiative of the Centre for Women’s Studies Theology, a interdisciplinary doctoral seminar was organised in 1998-1999, titled ‘Women, Gender and Christian Tradition: Gaining a Perspective on Women/Gender Studies’. This seminar was conducted by three moderators: Elvira Roncalli, Bianca Lataire, Ine Van Den Eynde and supervised by prof. dr. Bieringer.

The seminar took place in the second semester, consisted of 10 meetings of 2 ½ hours and dealt under the format of discussion with texts from several disciplines: literature, philosophy, dogmatics, New Testament, Old Testament (see appendix for the concrete texts).

In total the seminar consisted of 24 participants, most of which students of the doctoral programme, though some students of applied ethics took part as well. Most participants were active in the discussion. Still, 24 participants is a large group to discuss with in depth.

The organisors wished to have more female participants, especially since some of the women were rarely involved in the discussion. Perhaps their reluctance to do so has to do with their strong involvement with the topic. The low number of women participating mirrors the rather low number of women studying on the doctoral level in the Faculty.

The experience of this seminar taught us that among the students of the English section, a broad interest in women’s studies is present, which may be connected with the fact that this topic involves everyone.

For the next academic year, the Centre wishes to go back to their original concept of a general seminar in which texts are taken as a starting point for the discussion. Group dynamics and active participation are of crucial importance. We will hand in a request for the Doctoral Committee to grant the meetings of this seminar the same credits as the meetings of the Forum for Liberation Theologies, which is 10 credits for every actively participated meeting. The language of the discussion will be English. We are thinking of organising a Dutch seminar. It is, however, not that easy to gather sufficient Dutch speaking students. They can join the English seminar, but the English section can hardly join a Dutch seminar.

The course Women's Studies Theology


The course Women’s Studies Theology attracted many students as well. The professors involved had a positive experience. The course consisted of two parts: a general introduction to Women’s Studies Theology (Guest professor: Caroline Vander Stichele) and a thematic part on "Women and Leadership" (prof. Cornille and prof. Bieringer).

For the English course of next year, the same format will be taken (5 classes by a guest professor and the remaining classes by Profs. Bieringer en Cornille). The examination formula is still under discussion (oral versus written exam).

Participation in the International LAUD-conference 'Women and Religious Discourse' in Duisburg, Germany


Not less than 25% of the LAUD participants were one way or the other connected with the Centre: (amongst others: Reimund Bieringer; Mary Elsbernd, Bianca Lataire, Shu Fen Pong, Elvira Roncalli, John Ries, Susan Roll, Kristin de Troyer, Ine Van Den Eynde).

In the first semester, some meetings of the Centre were devoted to the preparing of the papers. The doctoral seminar proved to be a good preparation of the conference as well.

The papers of the LAUD conference are published as a paper by LAUD, Essen and will be taken up in diverse books (see Appendix).

International networking

The networking on international level had already begun earlier, with the guest professors for the course Women’s Studies Theology and the participation in a study week for doctoral students. This year as well, the networking took place, among others via:

  • participation in the AIO-course/post academic course Women’s Studies Theology "Grondslagen van feministisch-theologische hermeneutiek" (Utrecht, 1-2 oktober 1998), organised by NOSTER and IWFT.

  • participation in the symposium "Als een tango… Feministische theologie in context" (3 juni), three lectures by professors in Women’s Studies Theology at Nijmegen, as well as the oratio of Prof. Dr. M. de Haardt in the context of the Catharina Halkes chair for Feminism and Christianity.

  • exchange by news letter of the IWFT, in which the seminar and the course were announced

  • the LAUD-conference

  • the conference of the European Society of Women in Theological Research (ESWTR, Hoffgeismar, August 1999).

  • guest professorship of prof. Cornille in the context of the cooperation between the KU Leuven and Leiden, on women in the world religions

For further international contacts, we think of joining colloquia and NOSTER meetings, the possible broadening of the existing contacts with Tilburg on Women’s Studies Tilburg. Individual members related to the Centre are encouraged to take part in such activities and to report afterwards in the Centre.

Appendix 1: Texts read in the Doctoral Seminar


January, 27: General meeting

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own, 1929, chapters 2 & 6.

February, 3: Philosophy

Michèle Le Doeuff, Women and Philosophy, in T. Moi (ed.), French Feminist Thought: a Reader, Oxford: Blackwell, 1989, pp. 181-209;

Charlotte Witt, Feminist Metaphysics, in L.M. Anthony & C. Witt (eds.), A Mind of One’s Own: Feminist Essays on Reason and Objectivity, Oxford: Westview Press, 1993, pp. 273-288.

February 10: Philosophy

Luce Irigaray, Ethics of Sexual Difference, transl. C. Burke and G. C. Gill, Athlone Press, 1993, 5-19; 30-33; 140-153.

February 16: Systematic Theology

Mary Daly, Beyond God the Father. Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation, Boston: Beacon Press, 1973, pp. xl-xli; pp. 1-43.

February 24: Systematic Theology

Daphne Hampson, Theology and Feminism, Oxford: Blackwell, 1990, Ch. 6: Theology, pp. 148-175;

Elizabeth A. Johnson, She Who Is. The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, New York: Crossroad, 1992, Ch. 3: Basic Linguistic Options: God, Women, Equivalence, pp. 42-57.

March 10: New Testament

Sandra M. Schneiders, The Revelatory Text. Interpreting the New Testament as Sacred Scripture, San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991, Chapter 7: A Case Study: A Feminist Interpretation of John 4:1-41, pp. 180-199;

Jean K. Kim, A Korean Feminist Reading of John 4:1-41, in Semeia 78 (1997) 109-119.

March 17: New Testament

Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her. A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, Crossroad: New York, 1983, 101994, pp. xiii-xlii: Introduction to the Tenth Anniversary Edition: Remember the Struggle; pp. xliii-lv: Introduction: In Search of Women’s Heritage;

Daphne Hampson, On Not Remembering Her, in Feminist Theology 19 (1998) 63-83.

March 22: Tenach

A.A. Di Lella, Women in the Wisdom of Ben Sira and the Book of Judith: A Study in Contrasts and Reversals, in J.A. Emerton (ed.), Congress Volume. Paris 1992 (SVT, 61), Leiden-New York-Köln, 1995, pp. 39-52;

A.J. Levine, Sacrifice and Salvation: Otherness and Domestication in the Book of Judith, in A. Brenner (ed.), A Feminist Companion to Esther, Judith and Susanna (A Feminist Companion to the Bible, 7), Sheffield, 1995, pp. 208-233.

March 31: Tenach

Introduction to A. Brenner - F. van Dijk-Hemmes, On Gendering Texts: Female and Male Voices in the Hebrew Bible (Biblical Interpretation Series, 1), Leiden/New York NY, Köln, 1993, 1-13;

F. Van Dijk-Hemmes, Traces of Women's Texts in the Hebrew Bible. 2a. Victory Songs, in A. Brenner – F. Van Dijk-Hemmes, On Gendering Texts: Female and Male Voices in the Hebrew Bible (Biblical Interpretation Series, 1), Leiden/New York NY, Köln, 1993, 32-43;

A. Brenner, Women's Traditions Problematized. Some Reflections, in B. Becking - M. Dijkstra (eds.), On Reading Prophetic Texts. Gender-Specific and Related Studies in Memory of Fokkelien van Dijk-Hemmes (Biblical Interpretation Series, 18), Leiden/New York NY, Köln, 1996, 53-66.

April 21: Evaluation meeting

Appendix 2: LAUD-papers read by members of the Centre

B. Lataire – R. Bieringer, God the Father: An exegetical Study of a Johannine Metaphor (LAUD-paper. Series A: General and Theoretical Papers, 493), Essen, 1999, 1-18.

J. Riez, Genesis of the Jude-Christian Tradition Revisited: a Critical Appraisal of Edith Stein on Woman, (LAUD-paper. Series A: General and Theoretical Papers, 497), Essen, 1999, 1-9.

E. Roncalli, Arendt’s Thinking and the Metaphysical Tradition: A Reading with Reference to the Experience of Women (LAUD-paper. Series A: General and Theoretical Papers, 495), Essen, 1999, 1-9.

S. Van Den Eynde, Daughters of Abraham? On "Covenant", Women and Gender (LAUD-paper. Series A: General and Theoretical Papers, 472), Essen, 1999, 1-14.

The papers of B. Lataire-R. Bieringer and of S. Van Den Eynde will be taken up in R. Platzner (ed.), Gender: Tradition and Renewal (Religions and Discourse), Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2000.

The papers of E. Roncalli and J. Riez will be taken up in J. Riez- B. Biebuyck (eds.), Amsterdam [title not yet decided].