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American Academy of Religion

Published by Admin at 10/12/2019
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  • Professor Sarojini Nadar

American Academy of Religions 2019

From the 23rd to 26th of November 2019, Prof Nadar and Dr Scharnick-Udemans attended the 2019 Annual Conference of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in San Diego.

Over 9,000 scholars of religion and theology from all over the world are members of the AAR and more than 5,000 attend each annual conference. As a participant in the African Religions panel, Dr Scharnick-Udemans presented a paper entitled, “The State of Religion in South Africa: Negotiating Diversity and Deviance.”

The paper discussed how between discourses of diversity and deviance, the contours and boundaries of religious freedom, religious diversity, and religious normativity can be mapped and interrogated. Professor Nadar was invited, as one of a range of experts in the field, to comment on two new books that were being launched at the AAR. The first was a book on gender, sexuality and religion, called “Kenyan, Christian, Queer: Religion, LGBT Activism and Arts of Resistance” by Professor Adriaan Van Klinken. Her response will be published as part of a roundtable in honour of this book, in the ISI accredited journal, Religious Studies Review.

The second book panel for which Prof Nadar provided a response was “Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality: Africana Lessons on Religion, Racism and Ending Gender-based Violence” by Professor Traci West. This presentation was particularly significant in that it served as one of many inspirations for the proposal of a named annual lecture in honour of Jesse Hess, a 19-year-old Theology student at UWC, who was raped and murdered in September 2019.

American Academy of Religion 2018

Prof Nadar co-presented a paper with Dr Fatima Seedat (UCT) on Teaching About Islam, Gender, and Women AAR Panel Session, “Between Boundaries: Holding a Space between Quran and Bible in a Feminist Classroom”.

Abstract


The purpose of this paper is to theorise the teaching and learning of feminist approaches to Bible and Qur’an in a Masters course, with a historically Christian focus, within a South African higher education context. The paper draws on a critical review of an assessment task of students, as well as our pedagogical experiences to consider how students made meaning of the space created for conversation on different feminist approaches to the two sacred texts. When viewed through de- colonial feminist pedagogical thought, our analysis reveals that our job as teachers was to hold onto the tension in the space between the feminist approaches to the sacred texts, and not to succumb to the pressure to release, trivialise nor exacerbate that tension. The students’ essays then reveal much creativity in how they engage the feminist approaches to the two texts with varying degrees of “inflation and conflation of the spaces” between them. The reflections in the paper challenge and extend the dominant literature on Christian-Muslim hermeneutics in two ways: through a focus on the pedagogical aspects of the encounter between the two sacred texts in a university feminist space; and through an emphasis on the intellectual insight drawn from the encounter as conversation and as a ‘becoming’, rather than the encounter providing a utilitarian response to a perceived crisis.

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice
is with Sarojini Nadar.

2 days ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

Dear Friends and Colleagues, The Desmond Tutu (SARChI) in Religion and Social Justice, Prof Sarojini Nadar, invites you to an art exhibition by Zachary Stewart, "Within the Fold: Sacred Sexuality and Artivism". The exhibition features a series of sculptural and performance works that gently assert the presence of queerness within a church which often clings to queer-hate. Instead of portraying the constant struggle of queer resistance, this series seeks to honour queer existence, and queer presence – its imagination, embodiment, and expression. Launched intentionally within “Holy Week” leading up to Good Friday, the exhibition seeks to ask critical questions about who defines what is “holy” and “sacred” and how such conceptualizations relate to the sexual. Framed around a central crucifix piece, which is traditionally used for exorcism, the exhibition turns the crucifix back to face the church, and to ask: "can queer hatred be exorcised from the church?" The artist, Zach Stewart, will be in conversation with Adera Owino.Date: 6 April 2023Venue: The Atrium, UWC Library, Main Campus, Robert Sobukwe Rd, BellvilleTime: 15h00-17h00Registering is essential, kindly fill in the form here: forms.gle/v5MzWRg9xffeAEBk8 alternatively email dtc@uwc.ac.za for the link to register.

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

1 month ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

African Journal of Gender and Religion: Call for Papers 2023Dear Friends and Colleagues,The African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR) is the first online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal for the transdisciplinary study of gender and religion in Africa. The AJGR is housed in The Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape.The journal seeks to explore the ways in which power operates in gendered relationships and the ways in which this power is determined and promoted by religious and cultural norms. We welcome submissions which draw on a variety of resources available within feminist, queer and masculinity studies as they intersect with religion and culture. The African Journal of Gender and Religion is a DHET Accredited Journal.You may access our current issue online via this link: journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/issue/view/216 Please feel free to share the journal and call for papers far and wide.– Previous volumes of the journal can be accessed freely online at journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/issue/archive – Prospective contributors should send their articles via this link: journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/submission/– The In-House Standard and Style Sheet guidelines can be accessed at journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/about/submissions.

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

4 months ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

Newsflash:In May 2022, the Desmond Tutu Chair in Religion and Social Justice, Prof Sarojini Nadar collaborated with Dr Demaine Solomons as part of his Black Academic Advancement Program Grant to host a colloquium on Black Theology.We are delighted to announce that the essays from this special issue have just been published in a special issue of Ecumenical Review (October 2022) – Black Theologies of Resistance, Existence and Solidarity. Access them here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17586623/2022/74/4A number of colleagues affiliated to the Tutu Centre published in this special volume. They are:• Sarojini Nadar who holds the Desmond Tutu South African Research Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape and is the Director of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice.• Johnathan Jodamus. A senior lecturer in the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape and an affiliate to the SARChI Chair in Religion and Social Justice.• Selena Headley. A postdoctoral fellow under the auspices of the Desmond Tutu SARChI Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape. She also serves as the South African Urban Training Collaborative Coordinator with Resonate Global Mission.• Nobesuthu Tom. A PhD candidate affiliated to the SARChI Chair in Religion and Social Justice and a research assistant at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at University of the Western Cape.• Godfrey Owino Adera. A PhD student affiliated with the Desmond Tutu SARChI Chair in Religion and Social Justice.

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The Ecumenical Review: Volume 74, Issue 4 | Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

desmondtutucentre-rsj.uwc.ac.za

In May 2022, the Desmond Tutu Chair in Religion and Social Justice, Prof Sarojini Nadar collaborated with Dr Demaine Solomons as part of his Black Academic […]

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

5 months ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

Professor Sarojini Nadar, Director of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice and Desmond Tutu (SARChI) Research Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape, was inaugurated as a Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) at its annual Awards Ceremony on 19 October 2022 along with 28 of the country’s leading scholars and scientists.Please join us in congratulating Prof Nadar on this exceptional achievement.For more information, visit: www.assaf.org.za/2022/10/24/top-scholars-in-south-africa-honoured-4/

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

6 months ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

The Desmond Tutu Center for Religion and Social Justice is delighted to celebrate three outstanding achievements at last night’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Dean’s Merit Awards.Currently registered as a PhD student, Rhine ‘Toby’ Koloti received a Magna Cum Laude Certificate for his Masters degree in 2021 (Supervisor: Prof Sarojini Nadar)Currently registered as a PhD student, Ashleigh Petersen received a Cum Laude Certificate for her Masters degree in 2021 (Supervisor: Prof Sarojini Nadar, Co-supervisor: Dr Lee Scharnick-Udemans)Tutu Center Administrator: Ms Ferial Marlie, currently registered for the final year of her Bachelor of Arts degree received an award for her outstanding performance in 2021. Overall, all three awardees showcase the academic excellence for which we strive in the Centre! Well done.

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Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

6 months ago

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice

Dear friends and colleagues, you are invited to attend the panel discussion "Epistemes, Methods and (Inter)textualities in Sacred Queer Stories" at the Es’kia Colloquium. The Colloquium is hosted annually by Wits University, and takes place this year on 15-16 September 2022. The theme of the Colloquium is “Epistemes, Methods, Textualities”. The panel will be discussing questions regarding knowledge production, method and (inter)textualities in relation to the recently published book, Sacred Queer Stories: Ugandan LGBTQ+ Refugee Lives and the Bible, co-authored by Adriaan van Klinken and Johanna Stiebert with Brian Sebyala and Fredrick Hudson (James Currey, 2021). The panel consists of the following discussants:– Stella Nyanzi, PEN writer in exile scholar, Germany– Megan Robertson, University of the Western Cape, South Africa (Senior Researcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice)– Sebyala Brian and Fredrick Hudson, The Nature Network, Nairobi/USA– Adriaan van Klinken, University of Leeds, UK (Extraordinary Professor at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice)This session is scheduled for Thursday 15 September, 14h00-15h30 (South Africa time).In order to attend the session online (Zoom), please register for the Colloquium via this link: wits-za.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwscOitpjsvGdQXZJhkBWb0K5_2wAKHVb3mFor more information, visit: sacredqueerstories.leeds.ac.uk/eskia-colloquium/

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  • 0
    The Ecumenical Review: Volume 74, Issue 4
    08/12/2022
  • 0
    Economies of Violence
    30/08/2022

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice Office

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E: dtc@uwc.ac.za
T: +2721 959 2383

Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice 2019. Website By Spotkolours Design