Abstract
Grounded in the rich offerings of black feminism and womanism, Coleman’s edited collection clarifies and envisions an emerging third wave of womanist religious thought. This book reframes how womanist thought challenges oppressive power structures, namely, through shifting the conversation “away from the identity of the scholar to the ideology of the scholarship” (17). While acknowledging the value of identity politics and the contributions of second-wave womanists who espouse it, C. nonetheless argues that the third wave is distinguished not only by “work that is grounded in black women’s religious experiences” (18) and committed to justice and quality of life, but also by work that advances more substantial connections with the diversity of feminisms and activist struggles aimed at social transformation.
This four-part book illustrates the evolving, expanding canvas of womanist religious thought. Part I, “Religious Pluralism,” begins with Debra Majeed’s investigation of polygyny in African American Muslim communities; Stephen C. Finley examines the spiritual leadership of the Nation of Islam’s Mother Tynetta Muhammad; and Pu Xiumei’s chapter develops a womanist ecofeminist contribution based on the Chinese indigenous goddess Di Mu and Buddhism. In Part II, “Popular Culture,” Darnise C. Martin examines how gospel house music created an alternative sacred space for black gay men; Elonda Clay challenges the subservient roles to which black women are still relegated by the media and churches; and Ronald B. Neal argues that black males do not create black sexism and homophobia, but rather that the Abrahamic faiths have reinforced such renderings of masculinity.
In Part III, “Gender and Sexuality,” Monica R. Miller examines the black community’s diverse reaction to Don Imus’s “nappy-headed ho’s” statement; Roger Sneed advances the concept of liminality in his investigation of black queer life; Nessette Falu considers black lesbian identity as it is depicted in academia, film, and postmodern theory; and EL Kornegay Jr. draws on the depth dimension of his own journey and the writings of James Baldwin to reinscribe heterosexual masculinity. In the final part, “Politics,” Sharon D. Welch grounds her vision of global peace policies in womanist and Buddhist thought; Barbara A. Homes seeks out new options for examining racism in our so-called postracial society; Victor Anderson investigates how power is negotiated in contemporary efforts to understand “blackness” in religious studies; and Arisika Razak offers pedagogical wisdom rooted in womanist thought.
This book makes its contribution by pushing forward some of the boundaries of contemporary womanist religious thought (e.g., interreligious dialogue, masculinities, queer theory, eco-womanist studies, etc.). While womanist theology is integral to the first and second waves, this third wave has yet to identify the evolution of womanist theology. Moreover, this third wave casts a wide net, perhaps too wide. Nonetheless it includes both well-established and emerging scholars signaling a much-expanded and vital discussion. I suspect many readers will be stimulated by the diversity of offerings yet searching for the cohesive core of this new wave.