Female Religious Leaders Research Articles

The Merchant Scene of Biblical Drama: Rehabilitating the Female Input

Abstract This paper examines a ground-breaking innovation to medieval Easter plays: the creation of the extra-biblical merchant scene, in which the Marys purchase spices prior to their Visitatio Sepulchri. The patron of its earliest known representation was the female religious leader Uta von Kirchberg. An illuminated roundel in the Uta Codex she commissioned towards the end of her term as abbess of Niedermünster (1002–25), depicts the Holy women purchasing spices from a spice merchant. Until the twelfth century, this remained the only representation of an Easter merchant scene, visual or textual. The only textual Easter merchant scene predating the thirteenth century is within the twelfth-century Latin/Catalan Ludus Paschalis of Vic Cathedral, near Barcelona, a highly influential Easter text whose transnational impact has been traced in numerous later Easter texts across Europe, including many with merchant scenes. Around 2000, musicologists David Wulstan and Constant Mews suggested the renowned composer and poet Heloise (c. 1090s–1164) as its author. Widely accepted by musicologists, their attribution’s significance for the female impact on the merchant scene is barely acknowledged. Here, I ask: ‘how did women influence the creation, promotion and development of the merchant scene’s visual, textual and performative manifestations?’ By repeatedly reattributing responsibility for decisive input into the development of the merchant scene from anonymous male scribes to identified female religious leaders, my interdisciplinary analysis moves women to the centre of this creative process.

Sensible localisation – local peace committees’ role in preventing violent and hateful extremism

ABSTRACT For the past two decades, international development agencies have supported establishing and developing Local Peace Committees (LPCs) in conflict-affected countries. These committees typically have two objectives. First, to serve as a local conflict resolution and decision-making mechanism in conflict arbitration at the community level. Second, to empower groups traditionally excluded from decision-making, such as minorities, marginalised youth, housewives, and female religious leaders. Although these two goals might facilitate preventing and countering violent and hateful extremism (PVHE), such a purpose was different from the specific objectives of the Local Peace Committees. Based on more than 30 interviews with members of Peace Committees, UN, local and international NGOs and secondary data, including data gathered through independent evaluations of programmes supported by the organisations the authors work for, the first section of this analysis evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of LPCs in Nigeria, Somalia and Mali, and their role in PVHE. In the second section of this article, the authors assess trends and make recommendations on ways to strengthen LPCs to increase their ability to contribute to PVHE over the long term.

Female Religious Leaders can be Strong Drivers of Dialogue and Mediation in Sri Lanka

This policy brief developed as a part of the Female Religious Leaders for Dialogue and Mediation (FREEDOM) initiative focuses on the importance of engaging female religious leaders in dialogue and mediation in addressing contemporary social issues in Sri Lanka. It was developed based on information gathered through consultation workshops, key informant interviews, an online survey, and a review of the available literature, which was carried out from 1 - 25 March 2023. Recommendations are made for the improvement of the engagement of female religious leaders for dialogue and mediation, targeting the leadership of religious organizations, mediation, dialogue platforms, civil society organizations, government institutions, and female religious leaders and community leaders.

Can a Woman be a True Guru? Female Hindu Gurus’ Grassroots Religious Gender Activism in India, and the Performativity of Saintliness at the <i>Kumbh Mela</i>

This article represents a departure from existing scholarship on women’s political activism in Indian Hinduism. Women’s gender activism in Hindu nationalism encompasses a range of approaches, from hard-line to emancipatory, and is motivated by different concerns, from religious xenophobia to religious power. Thus, female religious leaders (gurus) advocating Hindutva Hinduism exercise more than one style of leadership in the public sphere. Based on ethnographic research conducted at the <i>Kumbh Mela</i>, the article illuminates another style of activism, which is termed ‘grassroots religious feminist-leaning activism.’ Analysing the teachings and practices of two female gurus, it argues that one guru believes in a separate but equal approach (men and women have different skills and rights), and the other follows the approach that both genders should have the same rights and abilities to make choices because of their common humanity. Both gurus are unlocking opportunities for women’s greater freedom within the male-dominated religious hierarchies of the Hindu ascetic orders <i>akhāṛās</i>) at the <i>Kumbh Mela</i>. This article argues that, through performance of the ‘rhetoric of saintliness,’ the gurus heighten or reverse sex-role stereotypes embedded in mainstream representations of ‘good’ gurus in order to mobilise gender reform in patriarchal <i>akhāṛā</i> culture.

Measuring Social Media Marketing Strategies of Christian Female Religious Leaders

This work faces the question of how female Christian leaders are structuring their marketing social media oriented strategies. In particular, we examine the communication strategy of a Catholic nun, two Protestant leaders (one Methodist and one Lutheran) and a charismatic Christian within a megachurch. We explore three main aspects of the question: first, the ‘knots’ of their communication strategy (the number of products/services they offered as newsletters, books, podcasts, blogs…); second, the result of these strategies in terms of volume of their audience; and third, the topics they talk about and the use of SEO and ‘copywriting strategies’ to be more engaging. As an added value of this study, we tried to quantify each of these aspects.

Community empowerment in leading pesantren: A research of Nyai’s leadership

<span>Leadership is one of the essential factors that can influence community involvement in realizing the character of male and female students in the <em>pesantren</em> (Islamic boarding schools) in Jambi, Indonesia<em>.</em> This study proposed <em>Nyai’s </em></span><span>(female religious leaders in the<em> pesantren</em>) charismatic, economic, and social responsibility leadership models in the context of community empowerment (CE). This quantitative research aimed to determine the contribution of <em>Nyai’s</em> leadership models to CE. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using path and flowchart analysis. The results showed that the three <em>Nyai</em>’s leadership models in this study influenced and contributed to CE to support the <em>pesantren</em>’<em>s</em> activities and programs. This study recommended adopting the three <em>Nyai’s</em> leadership models in empowering the community in the <em>pesantren</em>.</span>

Servant Leadership Stimulates Spiritual Well-Being Through Team Trust in a Female Religious Context.

This study investigates how female religious leaders nurture spiritual well-being in religious sisters. Specifically, we examined how servant leadership fosters spiritual well-being [Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit (GFSp)] through, respectively, the mediating role of team trust and reduced occurrence of team conflicts. Quantitative survey data were collected from 453 religious sisters (followers) within a Catholic Women Religious Institute in Nigeria. Using structural equation modeling, results showed that servant leadership is positively related to team trust and negatively related to team conflict. Further findings showed that servant leadership indirectly fosters spiritual well-being: Gifts of the Spirit (GSp), and Fruits of the Spirit (FSp), through the mediating role of team trust, however not through reduced team conflict. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Male mentor midwives for Black female religious leadership

An African proverb says, “I am because we are.” This proverb reflects the importance of individual and communal relationships that help to form and shape us. The Black Lives Matter guiding principle of the “Black Village” also emphasizes the importance of the collective village that takes care of each other. This article reflects on the praxis of being mentored by caring mentors and being a caring teaching mentor to others. I write as a male who has served as a guide, gatekeeper, companion, and midwife for Black women in spaces where male leadership is the assumed norm. I seek to challenge, inspire, and inform other men and women who are still tethered to hegemonic patriarchal notions of masculinity that fracture the potential of women who are on their journeys of “becoming” all the Creator intends. I intentionally select the image of a male mentor as “midwife,” a feminine image associated with the birthing process, to disrupt toxic masculinity as a strategy for gaining or maintaining cultural and political power. My thesis is that males who are actively deconstructing the sexist temptation to objectify and marginalize women and who engender trust can serve in the Black Village of caring and collaborative relationships, exercising the magic of midwifery to assist female religious leaders on their journeys of realizing their sacred potential. To risk being guide, gatekeeper, midwife, and companion on the journey with others is a holy transformative privilege and responsibility.

Professionalizing the Imam in Europe: Imam Training Programs as Sites of Deliberative Engagement

This article discusses the first experiences of a supplementary imam training program that has been designed in the Netherlands for community-based imams, female religious leaders and mosque committee members. This “Professionalization of Imams in the Netherlands” program (PIN) was set up as a cooperation of the Representative Council of Muslims (CMO) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, supported by state-subsidy. The article discusses how the initiators maneuvered within and beyond the politicized burden of expectation that has surrounded the establishment of European-based imam training programs for decades now. The article provides a unique insight into the program’s design, its collaborative partners and participants’ experiences, understanding the program as a site of deliberative engagement. It shows how the stakeholders ideally see ownership of the curriculum and trainee recruitment as a shared responsibility for the Muslim community and the public educational institution, whereas the state is willing to finance it. The article outlines how in this attempt the stakeholders must deal with some paradoxical dynamics that influence this notion of “shared ownership”. Sharing these analytical observations and recommendations will hopefully help stakeholders involved in setting up similar European programs to make rational decisions on content and format of (future) supplementary programs, within and beyond fields of power, authority and interest.

Khat use and intimate partner violence in a refugee population: a qualitative study in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia

BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of gender-based violence affecting women and girls worldwide and is exacerbated in humanitarian crises. There is evidence that substance use is associated with male perpetration of IPV. Consumption of khat —a plant containing amphetamines traditionally chewed in the horn of Africa and legal in some countries including Ethiopia—may increase risk of IPV toward women. This analysis aimed to assess perceptions on khat use among Somali refugees in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia and its association with IPV to inform an IPV and HIV prevention intervention.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study comprising individual interviews (n = 30) and focus group discussions (n = 10) was conducted in Bokolmayo refugee camp in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia in October 2016. A purposive sample of male and female Somali refugees, religious and community leaders, and service providers (n = 110 individuals; 44 women and 66 men) was included. Trained interviewers from the camp conducted the interviews and discussion, which were audio recorded, transcribed and translated. A content analysis was conducted on coded excerpts from the transcripts to identify factors contributing to IPV toward women, including khat use.ResultsParticipants reported that displacement has resulted in limited employment opportunities for men and increased idle time, which has led to increased khat use among men as a coping mechanism. Male khat use was perceived to be associated with perpetration of physical and sexual IPV through several mechanisms including increased anger and aggression and enhanced sexual desire. Khat use also contributes to intra-marital conflict as money allocated for a household is spent on purchasing khat.ConclusionKhat use should be addressed as part of IPV prevention programming in this context. Livelihood interventions and other strategies to improve economic conditions, should be explored in collaboration with refugee camp authorities and community leaders as a potential avenue to mitigate the impact of khat use on women and families.

The Buddhist Nuns and Dialogue in Wartime Myanmar: Understanding the ‘Banality of Othering’

This paper contends that dialogue must be understood dispassionately with the aim to appreciate what David Bohm (2013) called ‘incoherence’, and the need to embrace multiplicity in narratives, even if that implies incongruence in the understanding of dialogue. Using ethnographic methods and findings, I situate the politics of self and the other, and argue that determining the other and acknowledging the ‘banality of othering’ need to be examined in discussions around dialogue. I present a background of the interfaith tensions between the Buddhists and the Muslim-Other in Myanmar and by means of ethnographic anecdotes unpack the underplayed importance of determining the other within one’s own faith tradition and emphasise the needs and possibilities of engaging with them. Female religious leaders are often the innate other in many religious traditions, and their stories, experiences, and recommendations are disproportionately discounted, and that necessitates redressing. In a first, this study reports the role of Buddhist nuns, or the lack of it, in transitional Myanmar in the belief, practice, and scholarship of dialogue, and emphasises the need for their meaningful involvement.

Léncak: Ruang Sosial-Keagamaan Tokoh Agama Perempuan Madura

<span lang="EN-US">This research explores and interprets léncak as one of the treasures of the treasures of the ancestors' heritage and can be produced from generation to generation. The wealth stored on the island of Madura, both in the form of views, ethics, culture and wealth of objects containing social values and meanings for the religious life of the Madurese community, especially for female religious leaders of Madura. One of these objects was named léncak, because it was on this level that the female religious leaders spent a lot of time formulating the problems of their people, thus becoming intermediaries to the public space. This study uses a phenomenological approach, because it wants to reveal the social significance of the one used by religious leaders of Madurese women in carrying out their religious social roles. This research found that it must be a meaningful, inspirational, facilitative space for the continuation of religious negotiations as well as opening the public space for female religious leaders with their communities</span>

Nyai Madura: Representation of Female Religious Leaders in Contemporary Indonesia

This paper examines the roles and position of female religious leaders in Madura Island, known as Nyai. Nyais are female religious leaders and are highly respected by the rural communities for not only being someone who is master in Islamic teachings, and her dakwah (outreach), but also being influential amongst the communities. Yet, the role and position of nyai in a patriarchal society of Madura are crucial in the sense that their dakwah and teachings have gradually become doctrine for female communities in the male-dominated environment. Particular nyais have demonstrated their determination in identity contestation and playing their agency role for their communities. Their popularity and growing followers have become a serious concern and criticism of some male religious leaders (known as kyai) in the Island. An ethnography study applied to observe the daily life of two female nyais in two regional districts of Madura, they are Nyai Sitti of Sampang and Nyai Dausy of Sumenep, and found that in the context of nyai’s hierarchy in Madura, these two nyais have built what have created authority and represented their leadership positions on their social class. They are the central figures, where their popularity are shaped by their charisma, genealogy, and people’s power. Indeed, they have reached the position of ‘nyai rajheh’ (great leader), which is a leading influential figure, especially for women in contemporary Madura Island.

Female Religious Actors as Peace Agents in Afghanistan

With some notably rare exceptions, the literature on religion and peacebuilding has predominantly focused on men as religious actors, leaving the works of female religious actors in the shadows. This research focuses on a group of female religious actors in Afghanistan, their aspirations, and modes of working to build peace in their country. The research draws on structured interviews with 20 female members of a network of religious actors working for peace. In addition, quantitative data on activities carried out by those women and other network members has been employed to contextualise and improve the validity of findings. By examining the experiences and perceptions of these female religious leaders, the article illustrates the importance of religious literacy for Muslim women working for peace in Afghanistan. This research shows that such literacy facilitates social acceptance: it enables women to maximise the impact of the gendered peacebuilding spaces they have and, more importantly, to enlarge those spaces and create opportunities for conflict transformation.

Non-ordained

The Catholic Church, constructed on an all-male clerical model, is a hierarchical and gendered institution, creating barriers to female leadership. In interviewing members of the clergy and women religious of the faith, this article examines how female non-ordained and male clerical religious leaders engage and influence social policy. It specifically addresses how women religious maneuver around the institutional constraints of the Church, in order to take action on social issues and effect change. In adding to the scholarship on this topic, I argue that part of the strategy of women religious in navigating barriers of the institutional Church is not only knowing when to act outside of the formal hierarchy, but realizing when it is in the benefit of their social policy objectives to collaborate with it. This maneuvering may not always safeguard women religious from institutional scrutiny, as seen by the 2012 Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, but instead captures the tension between female religious and the clergy. It also highlights how situations of institutional scrutiny can have positive implications for female religious leaders, their policy goals and congregations. Finally, this examination shows how even when women are appointed to leadership posts within the institutional Church, they can face limitations of acceptance and other constraints that are different from their female religious counterparts working within their own respective religious congregations or outside organizations.

Transforming the Social Role of Female Religious Professionals in Tajikistan

This article considers the recent and contemporary transformation of the role of the female religious practitioners in Tajikistan who act as spiritual leaders for the women of the traditionally sedentary population of Central Asia. These women are known as bibi otun/bibi khalifa and function within the sphere of daily life and traditions and are regarded as possessing spiritual knowledge that links them to God. The social and religious environment in which the otuns function has been influenced by the revival of Islam, particularly in that the new transnational landscape has strengthened links with the rest of the Islamic world and introduced a trend toward the “purification” of Islam of local practices and traditions. More contemporaneously, the Tajik authorities are also having an impact as they attempt to exercise control over female religious leaders.

Afro-Cuban Religious Arts: Popular Expressions of Cultural Inheritance in Espiritismo and Santería

Afro-Cuban Religious Arts: Popular Expressions of Cultural Inheritance in Espiritismo and Santería

Weaving the Spider's Web: 19th-Century African American Female Mystical Activism

This article explores the mystical activism of nineteenth-century African American female religious leaders Jarena Lee and Rebecca Cox Jackson. It uses a composite notion of Anansi the spider as a metaphor to reveal the intricate interconnections of their sacred-social worlds. In particular, it analyzes how interpretations of Aunt Nancy the spider woman, the North American version of Anansi, relate to these women's mystical experiences and religious activism. The author contends that it is the Aunt Nancy figure that more specifically points to the ways in which these nineteenth-century women mediated sacred power and created emancipatory spaces they could call “home.”

Transgressive Subversions? Female Religious Leaders in Hinduism

As the eminent (female) anthropologist Mary Douglas (1966) pointed out, the “social body” constrains and contrives the way the physical body is perceived and obligated into performance. The physical experience of the body is in turn often modified by a clutch of regulatory and panoptic religio-social categories through which it is known and made to reflect a normative view of society. This paper wrestles with the assertion (DeNapoli 2013) that female gurus are transgressive bodies and irruptions into a predominantly malestream tradition of religious teachers. The paper works through the theoretical notion of intertextuality and attempts to deconstruct and read whether such irruptions (and interruptions) into the Hindu tradition are actually transgressive and gendered religious violations, or whether they work instead to discursively and differently perpetuate particular parochial and masculinised social constructions of “woman”. The paper thus probes what could be conceived of as “intertextual gaps” in order to examine the assertion that particular gendered enactments of the female gurus are subversive. The paper suggests instead that the gendered enactments appear to present ambivalences and ambiguities in renunciate discourses on gender and female agency.

Sarah Osborn's world: the rise of Evangelical Christianity in early America

In 1743, sitting quietly with pen in hand, Sarah Osborn pondered how to tell the story of her life, how to make sense of both her spiritual awakening and the sudden destitution of her family. Remarkably, the memoir she created that year survives today, as do more than two thousand additional pages she composed over the following three decades. Sarah Osborn's World is the first book to mine this remarkable woman's prolific personal and spiritual record. Catherine Brekus recovers the largely forgotten story of Sarah Osborn's life as one of the most charismatic female religious leaders of her time, while also connecting her captivating story to the rising evangelical movement in eighteenth-century America. A schoolteacher in Rhode Island, a wife, and a mother, Sarah Osborn led a remarkable revival in the 1760s that brought hundreds of people, including many slaves, to her house each week. Her extensive written record-encompassing issues ranging from the desire to be born again to a suspicion of capitalism-provides a unique vantage point from which to view the emergence of evangelicalism. Brekus sets Sarah Osborn's experience in the context of her revivalist era and expands our understanding of the birth of the evangelical movement-a movement that transformed Protestantism in the decades before the American Revolution.