Rita M. Gross, a pioneer in the study of women and religion, is a co-founder of the American Academy of Religion's
Women and Religion section. In Feminism and Religion, she offers an engaging survey of the changes feminism has
wrought. She shows how androgynous methods of study have changed not just our understanding of women's religious
lives but our ideas about religion as a whole. She charts feminist investigations into the histories of Judaism
and Christianity as well as earlier prepatriarchal societies. She examines feminist transformations of ritual,
theology, leadership, and institutions in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, as well as the
development of a new religion--feminist spirituality--aimed specifically at empowering women. Finally, she critiques
several feminist visions for the post patriarchal future of religion.
Summary
A fascinating survey of feminism's impact on the world's religions and religious studies
It has been nearly three decades since the contemporary women's movement made its presence known in the world of
religion. Since then, how has feminism affected religious women, men, and institutions around the world, as well
as how we study them?
Feminism and Religion is a comprehensive--at times provocative--look at the effects of the powerful feminist paradigm
shift.
