JFSr VOL. 18, NO. 1
Editors' introduction

For several years, the editorial board of JFSR has explored ways the journal might be able to strengthen its connections with feminist scholars and networks in the studies of religion in different parts of the world.  This connection and linkage is necessary for JFSR to provide a forum for dialogue and discussion for feminist scholarship emerging from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The tragic events of September 11 made such kinds of conversation and networking even more urgent, since religious rhetoric has been deployed to justify violence and killing, as well as to provide sanction for the so-called “war on terrorism.” Feminist scholars and activists from faith communities, academia, and the women’s movement would want to know how colleagues in other contexts are interpreting the changing global situation in order to form coalitions and alliances to ensure that women’s voices are heard and respected.

We are glad to report that JFSR has formed an international board to facilitate the exchange of information and to keep the journal abreast of what is happening in feminist scholarship around the globe. Serving on the board are colleagues representing different cultural backgrounds with expertise in diverse religious traditions from various disciplines. We are in the process of identifying several other candidates to join the board. These international board members will keep us informed about feminist studies of religion in their region, promote the journal, review articles and identify potential reviewers, and offer comments and suggestions. We are very grateful for their service and commitment to JFSR. In a future issue, you will have a chance to get acquainted with them as they report on women’s issues and feminist studies in religion in their region.

This issue begins with Anne L. Clark’s article, which examines the tensions and contradictions surrounding the priesthood and gender in the mid-twelfth century by focusing on the visionary works of Elisabeth of Schönau and Hildegard of Bingen, and a silver Eucharistic chalice with an image of Mary enthroned, found in the Cologne region. During a time when the church had intense struggles about the nature of the priestly office and in a culture moving toward a clearer division between the clerical and the lay states, the priesthood of Mary became the focal point of discussion on female self-identity, virginity, and roles available to women in the church. Clark carefully interprets the visions of Elisabeth and Hildegard within the contexts of their own life journeys and in the wider ecclesial and social setting, providing a multifaceted picture of how these women wrestled with their own roles outside the priestly order in the religious milieu of their day and resisted a simple and easy distinction between the clergy and the lay.

Deborah Orr situates Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God within the pluriphonic voices of Plato, Diotima of Mantinea, Wittgenstein, jazz and blues, as well as archetypal Goddess mythology. While honoring the black context from which Hurston’s work comes, Orr wants to expand the largely womanist reading her novel has been given to bring to the fore the inclusivity of her text, which Orr argues is meant for a very broad audience. Orr also aims to ground Hurston’s text in the philosophical discussions of the soul, love, and maturity through the lenses provided by Wittgenstein and Diotima. By bringing Hurston’s novel into dialogue with the western, white philosophical tradition, as well as with discourses on biblical metaphors and Goddess symbolism, Orr underlines the complex cultural resources that the novel draws from and the multileveled narrative structure the author employs. Orr’s article pushes us to think about the methodological issues that concern womanist/feminist scholarship: Does the attempt to bring in Diotima’s and Wittgenstein’s criticisms of white, Eurocentric culture deepen and fortify Hurston’s arguments and illumine her novel? Or would such an endeavor de-contextualize or de-territorialize Hurston’s work so that the blunt of her criticism of white bourgeois culture will be softened? In other words, Orr’s work raises several important questions for us to consider: Should Hurston’s work be limited to the construction of womanist theology and ethics? And if Hurston’s novel, as Orr argues, provides resources for all women, making it a fair candidate for the “inclusive feminist spiritual canon,” what are some of the strategies that will broaden the interpretive scope? What are the contributions as well as possible issues and concerns for such a hermeneutical move?

We thank editorial board member Mary E. Hunt for her editorial on how activist feminist scholarship can offer insights for analyzing our current situation and especially on war after September 11. She insists that we must make the connections between globalized economic injustice, fundamentalist fervor, and kyriarchal power in religious organizations and in the corporate world. She also challenges us to think about the responsibilities of feminist scholars and activists in the escalating rhetoric of “axis of evil” and the race to build up war arsenals around the globe.

Readers will note two special features in this issue: the new Cutting Edges section and an expanded Living It Out section.  At our last editorial meeting, we decided to inaugurate a new feature called “Cutting Edges,” which will include pieces written in innovative styles, reports of work-in-progress, and works that transcend disciplines and cannot be easily categorized. We want to honor the fact that feminist scholarship has been done in many different ways and styles and bring to you exciting new ideas that are still in the gestation stage. We begin this section with Teresa Berger’s “Of Clare and Clairol.” Berger makes us wonder: why would someone think about Saint Clare of Assisi when checking out at the supermarket? What would happen if Saint Clare, a thirteenth-century cloistered nun, appeared on the magazine rack? Berger imagines such a scenario as she not only contrasts Clare’s “blonde” hair with today’s woman’s look, but also provides a witty comparison between the social scripts for medieval women and for women in late capitalist culture. What has Clare to say to the daughters of Ms. Clairol? Would Clare freely dispense frequently asked for beauty tips to lift our radiance, or sisterly advice to “care for the soul?” You will have to read it to find out for yourselves.

As part of a commitment to provide our readers with information about what is happening in feminist religious networks and to promote international dialogue, we have included an expanded Living It Out section, devoted to “Thinking Globally and Acting Locally.” The section consists of papers presented at the 2001 meeting of the Feminist Liberation Theologians, Activists and Scholars of Religion Network in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. Elaine Wainwright introduces the history and work of Women Scholars of Religion and Theology, a multicultural Pacific regional network of feminist scholars established in 1992. Teresia M. Hinga outlines the mission, conferences and publications, and focus of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, founded in 1989. Susanne Scholz shares her border-crossing experience living between Germany and the United States, and illumines how European and American feminist theologians look at one another’s work. Writing from the Swedish context, Ann-Cathrin Jarl discusses women’s issues in a welfare society and introduces some recent works by Swedish authors. Bonna Devora Haberman draws our attention to the use of the World Wide Web as a tool for feminist activism as she introduces the project “Unmasking the Fast of Esther” of the Mistabra Institute for Jewish Textual Activism at Brandeis University. Using the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER) as an example, Mary E. Hunt discusses issues facing women’s grassroots activist groups in the United States. While these different groups and networks have their own focuses and agendas, increased collaboration and alliance with other feminists working on similar concerns is sought and highlighted. We hope to be able to publish works addressing how feminists in religious traditions not represented here are living out their commitments, and we welcome your suggestions and contributions.