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Teaching Rape, Slavery, and Genocide in Bible and Culture

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Swarthmore College Works Religion Faculty Works Religion 2019 Teaching Rape, Slavery, And Genocide In Bible And Culture Gwynn Kessler Swarthmore College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Gwynn Kessler. (2019). "Teaching Rape, Slavery, And Genocide In Bible And Culture". Rape Culture And Religious Studies: Critical And Pedagogical Engagements. 55-72. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion/391 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religion Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Chapter Three Teaching Rape, Slavery, and Genocide in Bible and Culture Gwynn Kessler What-and where-is the line between pedagogy and activism? Such a ques­ ques- tion strikes me as simultaneously naive and taboo, necessary and beside the point at the same time. Better, probably, to consider the relationship between pedagogy and activism, where and how each informs the other, and to reckon honestly with the complex relationships, possible tensions, and muddied wa­ wa- ters between them rather than query hard and fast lines. In the spring of 2016, I offered a course called ''Rape, "Rape, Slavery, and Genocide in Bible and Culture." A number of cultural currents were sweep­ sweep- ing across, or at least gaining ground, in the United States in the few years leading up to the class (and of course many years prior). Such currents may be exemplified by, just to name some of the more well-known, the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement (2013) in response to the increasing awareness of the frequency of racially motivated police brutality and killings, the publication of Ta-Nehisi Coates's article "The Case for Reparations" (2014(2014), ), the letters by the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Educa­ Educa- tion published in 2011 and 2014 about Title IX procedures, and the release of The Hunting Ground (2015), a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. On the global front, wars were being fought during these years, many still ongoing, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, and Gaza, with direct or tacit U.S. involvement. On a more personal level, I had been placed on the Sexual Misconduct Task Force at Swarthmore Col­ Col- lege that was formed in 2013 and served as one of two faculty members on that committee from then until 2015; at the time of this writing, the report we authored and the recommendations we made remain largely unheeded, as students are currently, once again, speaking out against the administration's 55 56 56 Chapter3Chapter 3 lacklack of ofconsistent, consistent, transparent, transparent, and and effective effective ways ways to toacknowledge, acknowledge, confront confront andand combat combat sexual sexual violence violence on oncampus. campus. MyMy course course "Rape, "Rape, Slavery, Slavery, and and Genocide Genocide in inBible Bible and and Culture" Culture" was was designeddesigned as asan anupper-level upper-level seminar, seminar, and and it itcomprised comprised seven seven students, students, of of diversediverse religious religious and and non-religious non-religious backgrounds backgrounds and and affiliations, affiliations, as aswell well as as differingdiffering ethnicities, ethnicities, races, races, socio-economic socio-economic backgrounds, backgrounds, and and gender gender iden­ iden- tities.tities. The The course course readings readings and and discussion discussion were were primarily primarily focused focused on onthe the HebrewHebrew Bible, Bible, but but some some readings readings about about New New Testament Testament texts texts were were incorpo­ incorpo- rated.rated. 1 Our1 Our class class meetings meetings were were discussion discussion based, based, and and students students shared shared reac­ reac- tionstions and and reflections reflections about about the the assigned assigned readings; readings; we we also also examined examined primary primary biblicalbiblical texts texts in inclass, class, applying applying the the secondary secondary readings readings to tothe the texts texts and and then then interpretinginterpreting the the texts texts in inmultiple multiple ways ways as asthe the class class session session progressed. progressed. Two Two of of thethe students students went went on on to towrite write senior senior theses theses that that emerged emerged from from readings readings and and discussionsdiscussions in inthe the class, class, and and at atleast least two two were were active active in incampus campus discussions. discussions. organizing,organizing, and and journalism journalism around around Title Title IX IX issues issues on on campus. campus. ThereThere were, were, as asis isoften often the the case, case, many many reasons reasons asas well well asas numerous numerous goals goals embeddedembedded in insuch such a a"timely" "timely" course course offering. offering. Part Part of of this this essay essay is isdevoted devoted toto renderingrendering such such motivations motivations and and goals goals transparent transparent in inorder order to to reflect reflect upon upon themthem retrospectively, retrospectively, with with some some more more depth depth and and perhaps perhaps the the clarity clarity of of hind­ hind- sight.sight. I Ialso also consider consider how how such such goals goals might might be be better better seen seen as as bringing bringing into into sharpersharper relief, relief, as as opposed opposed to to standing standing in in stark stark contrast contrast to. to. the the goals goals that that I Iset set forfor other, other, not not quite quite as as explicitly explicitly topical, topical, timely. timely. or or "relevant" "relevant" classes classes that that I I regularlyregularly offer offer about about the the Bible Bible and and religion religion more more generally. generally. But But the the bulk bulk of of thisthis essay essay focuses focuses on on examining examining three three texts texts from from the the biblical biblical book book of of Deute­ Deute- ronomyronomy that that we we read read together together on on the the first first day day of of class class in in order order to to begin begin to to examineexamine "what "what the the Bible Bible says" says" about about rape, rape, slavery. slavery. and and genocide genocide and and how how thesethese texts texts illuminate illuminate their their interconnectedness. interconnectedness. AtAt the the outset, outset, it itwas-and was-and remains-important remains-important to to be be clear clear that that the the class class diddid not not aim aim to to locate locate the the cause cause of, of, or or the the blame blame for. for. certain certain of of our our current current culture'sculture's struggles struggles with with sexual sexual violence, violence, racism. racism. and and genocide genocide in in the the Bible Bible itself.itself. Much Much of of the the Bible's Bible's influence influence on on U.S. U.S. culture, culture, while while I Ido do think think such such influenceinfluence exists, exists, is is simply simply too too hard hard to to pin pin down down in in any any facile. facile. straightforward. straightforward. manner.manner. However, However, the the course course did did aim aim to to provide provide a a place place where where current current occur­ occur- rencesrences of of sexual sexual violence. violence. framed framed as as an an outgrowth outgrowth of of misogyny misogyny and and structural structural sexism.sexism, and and racial racial violence, violence, understood understood as as an an outgrowth outgrowth of of white white supremacy supremacy andand persistent persistent systemic systemic racism. racism. could could be be critically critically examined examined and and discussed. discussed. ThusThus the the course course did did not not expect expect that that we we bracket bracket contemporary contemporary debates debates in in our our discussionsdiscussions about about biblical biblical texts. texts. Rather Rather it it sought sought to to integrate-though integrate-though not not conflate-textualconflate-textual materials materials from from another another time time and and place place with with contemporary contemporary culturalcultural realities realities that that both both we we and and our our students students confront. confront. Ultimately, Ultimately, I I hoped hoped thethe class class would would "work'' "work" on on multiple multiple levels; levels; I I wanted wanted us us to to "think "think with" with" the the BibleBible about about contemporary contemporary violence, violence, to to begin begin the the work work of of historicizing historicizing it. it. and and useuse contemporary contemporary discourses discourses about about violence violence to "think "think the Bible." For. as as Teaching Rape.Rape, Slavery.Slavery, and Genocide in Bible and Culture 5157 Regina Schwartz has warned, "if we do not think about the Bible, it will think (for) us."US."22 The specific objectives for the course that I listed on the syllabus included introducing students to the academic study of the Bible as well as to the general topic of violence and religion and, more specifically, violence and the Bible. I also specified some of the components of what I consider to be part of the academic study of the Bible: introducing students to the back­ back- ground and historical context of biblical texts and developing critical reading skills for primary (biblical) and secondary (scholarly) sources. Other course objectives listed included exposure to the complexity of the Bible and its legacy for today, exploration of possible connections between biblical texts and contemporary culture, and finally, the development of skills for discuss­ discuss- ing challenging topics in sensitive, sophisticated. sophisticated, and nuanced ways. 3 What strikes me about these course objectives upon looking back is, on the one hand, their timidity, their partialpartialness ness bordering on incompleteness, and even their blandness.
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