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Women's Religious Leadership JASR 29.2 (2016): 134-149 JASR (print) ISSN 1031-2943 doi:JASR 10.1558/jasr.v29i2.31139 29.2 (2016): 134-149 JASRJASR (print)(online) ISSN ISSN 1031-2943 1744-9014 doi: 10.1558/jasr.v29i2.31139 JASR (online) ISSN 1744-9014 Contested Feminisms: Women’s Religious LeadershipContested and Feminisms: the Politics Women’s of Contemporary Religious Leadership andWestern the Politics Feminism of Contemporary Western Feminism Kathleen McPhillips Kathleen McPhillips University of Newcastle University of Newcastle Abstract Abstract Feminism is a relatively recent social movement of radical reform, emerging fromFeminism the mass is a relativelypolitical movementsrecent social ofmovement democratisation, of radical secularisationreform, emerging and liberalismfrom the thatmass swept political across movements the Western of democratisation, world from the seventeenth secularisation century and onwards.liberalism Thethat sweptfirst wave across of the organised Western feministworld from political the seventeenth action was century articu- latedonwards. in the The abolitionist, first wave temperanceof organised and feminist suffrage political movements action wasin America articu- andlated Europe in the inabolitionist, the mid-nineteenth temperance century and suffrage and culminated movements in inthe America Seneca Fallsand EuropeConvention in the of mid-nineteenth 1848 in New centuryYork State and whereculminated the women’sin the Seneca rights movementFalls Convention was born. of 1848Religion in Newwas Yorka crucial State in flwhereuence the in thewomen’s work ofrights first wavemovement feminists was enjoying born. Religion close tieswas toa crucialthe liberal infl uencemovements in the ofwork Protestan- of first tism,wave particularly feminists enjoying the Quaker close movement. ties to the However, liberal movements as modernity of Protestan-progressed intotism, the particularly twentieth the century Quaker and movement. secularism However, became as incorporated modernity progressed into state- into the twentieth century and secularism became incorporated into state- craft, the influence of religion in the public sphere waned and humanist craft, the influence of religion in the public sphere waned and humanist ethics came to the fore in political life. So, although Christianity had been a ethics came to the fore in political life. So, although Christianity had been a primary part of first wave feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth primary part of first wave feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from the 1960s second wave feminism embraced secularism and centuries, from the 1960s second wave feminism embraced secularism and situated religion as an inherently patriarchal institution, incapable of social situated religion as an inherently patriarchal institution, incapable of social change, and has yet to acknowledge the pivotal part that women’s religious change, and has yet to acknowledge the pivotal part that women’s religious leadershipleadership playedplayed inin establishingestablishing the groundsgrounds forfor contemporarycontemporary feministfeminist politics.politics. Recently,Recently, aa thirdthird phase of religious feminism,feminism, dedefifinedned asas post-post- secularsecular feminism, feminism, shiftsshifts thethe ground yet again toto openopen upup newnew possibilities possibilities of of engagementengagement betweenbetween religiousreligious and non-religious feminisms.feminisms. FollowingFollowing on on fromfrom thethe fifirstrst twotwo waveswaves of religious feminism,feminism, thisthis thirdthird phasephase holdsholds potentialpotential forfor countercounter hegemonichegemonic action inin transformingtransforming gendergender conservative conservative religiousreligious institutions,institutions, theologiestheologies and social practicespractices towardstowards more more inclusive, inclusive, potentiallypotentially transformative,transformative, religious cultures. ItIt alsoalso providesprovides spacespace forfor aa newnew articulation articulation ofof religiousreligious and secular feminist politics.politics. Keywords Feminism,Feminism, secularism,secularism, reform,reform, politics. ©© Equinox Equinox Publishing Publishing Ltd, Ltd, 415415 TheThe Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row,Row, Sheffield,Sheffield, S1 S1 2BX. 2BX. McPhillips Contested Feminisms 135 JASR 29.2 (2016): 134-149 JASR (print) ISSN 1031-2943 doi: 10.1558/jasr.v29i2.31139 JASR (online) ISSN 1744-9014 First Wave Feminism …the secular women’s movement is the child, the grandchild, the great- grandchild of a movement inspired by devout Christian women concerned initially to right the wrongs of others. —Muriel Porter (1995: 221) Contested Feminisms: Women’s Religious ContemporaryLeadership Western and feminism, the Politics both secular of Contemporary and religious, was borne from the abolitionist, Westernsuffrage and Feminism temperance movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that swept across Europe and North America enacting colossal political stru ggles to bring universal citizenship, inclusion and freedom to aKathleen number McPhillips of disenfranchised groups, including women, working class men and enslaved African Americans. The historical struggles surroundingUniversity the of Newcastleexpansion of citizenship rights to those other than white men have been documented widely by feminist historians (see Phillips 2004) and as Phillips argues the early quest for sexual equality and rights continuesAbstract into contemporary times. In its earliest forms, first wave feminism called for equality between the sexesFeminism and focused is a relatively on the recent rights social of movementwomen and of radical girls reform,to education emerging (Porter from the mass political movements of democratisation, secularisation and 1995:liberalism 210). thatMary swept Wollstonecraft’s across the Western famous world from essay the seventeenth A Vindication century of the Rightsonwards. of Women The fi rstpublished wave of organised in 1792 feminist is typically political positioned action was articu-as the first articulationlated in theof theabolitionist, case for temperance the uni versaland suffrage education movements of women in America and has becomeand aEurope central in textthe mid-nineteenth of the feminist century canon. and culminated in the Seneca In FallsBritain, Convention America of and1848 Australia,in New York many State of where the womenthe women’s who rights fought for movement was born. Religion was a crucial influence in the work of first humanwave rights feminists in enjoyingthe abolitionist close ties toand the suffrageliberal movements movements of Protestan- belonged to Christiantism, particularlychurches theand Quaker often movement. came fr However,om clerical as modernity families progressed (Porter 1995: 210-11).into the The twentieth Quakers century were and especially secularism becameactive incorporatedin pursuing into social state- justice agendas.craft, Somethe infl uenceof the of most religion articulate in the publicspeakers sphere against waned slavery and humanist and poverty ethics came to the fore in political life. So, although Christianity had been a wereprimary Quaker part women,of first wave including feminism inLucretia the nineteenth Mott, and Susan early twentiethB. Anthony, Elisabethcenturies, Fry from and the Jane 1960 Addams.s second wave Sara feminismh Grimke embraced and hersecularism sister andAngelina are mostsituated often religion credited as an inherently with begi patrnningiarchal institution,the American incapable women’s of social rights movementchange, whichand has emergedyet to acknowledge from their the pivotal work part on thatthe women’s abolition religious of slavery leadership played in establishing the grounds for contemporary feminist (1995:politics. 211). Recently, For the a thirdGrimke phase sisters of religious their Quakerfeminism, faithdefined was as thepost- spring- boardsecular for theirfeminism, social shifts ju thestice ground work yet and again this to openwas upmade new possibilitiespossible becauseof Quakersengagement have abetween long historyreligious andof thenon-religious affirmation feminisms. of women Following as onspiritual leadersfrom and the speakersfirst two waves(1995: of 212).religious Elizabeth feminism, Cady this thirdStanton phase championed holds potential for counter hegemonic action in transforming gender conservative suffragereligious rights institutions, for women theologies in America and social and practices was instrumentaltowards more inclusive, in organising the Senecapotentially Falls transformative, Conference religious of 1848 cultures. where It alsoshe providespresented space a Declarationfor a of Sentimentsnew articulation that of religiousled to andthe secular formal feminist establishment politics. of the suffrage movement. Working with a committee of women Cady Stanton published The Women’s Bible in 1895 (2013), which was effectively the first Keywords published feminist interpretation of biblical commentary and which establishedFeminism, the secularism, gender bias reform, of politics.mainstream theological discourse. © Equinox Publishing Ltd,Ltd 2016.415 The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX. 136 JASR 29.2 (2016) JASR 29.2 (2016): 134-149 JASR (print) ISSN 1031-2943 doi:In 10.1558/jasr.v29i2.31139Australia, the battle for suffrage and women’sJASR (online) rights ISSNbegan 1744-9014 earnestly in the 1890s and was granted in South Australia in 1895 and in principle by Federal Parliament in 1902 one year
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