Religion in French Feminist Thought: Critical Perspectives

Religion in French Feminist Thoughtbrings together previously unpublished essays by leading scholars in the field of religious studies who use French feminist writings as important resources in their work. This collection is distinguished by its consideration of such major French feminist thinkers as Helene Cixous, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Catherine Clement, and Monique Wittig, as well as by its focus on questions concerning religion, divinity, and ethics. The essays in this collection address such topics as: the language of "the sacred" and "the divine" in Jewish and Catholic theologies; the relation between religious discourse and the female body; the repression of the maternal within the Judeo-Christian tradition; the interplay between the complex processes of subjectivity and divinity; and the place of "desire" in the major religious traditions of western culture. Other areas of discussion include: the ethical paradigms of the Judeo-Christian tradition, criticallyassessed; traditional religious symbologies and ritual practices; and the possibility for re-imagining patriarchal conceptions of divinity by way of an examination of ancient goddess traditions. These essays offer interpretive overviews of key religious concepts in the work of the major French feminists, as well as providing critical engagements with that work. On the whole,Religion in FrenchFeminist Thoughtunderscores the ways in which French feminist thought has already become a valuable tool in feminist efforts to rethink religion and theology, and suggests that French feminism will continue to be an important resource for religious studies for years to come.