Femisn

Latina feminist theology: past, present, and future.(Special Section: ENVISIONING THE FUTURE OF FEMINIST STUDIES IN RELIGION)(Essay).
The role of feminism within Latina theological scholarship has, from the outset, been an issue of serious debate and contention. Latina theologians that claim a feminist voice are confronted with two obstacles from the outset: first, the reception of a feminist hermeneutic from their male colleagues; and second, the viability of feminism as a theoretical tool and designator for Latina theological contributions. Whether one claims a feminist voice or not, the impact that feminist theology has had upon Latina theologies is profound. In this essay, I explore these tensions within Latina feminist theological scholarship in light of the future of this particular theological collective. My comments are in conversation with feminist theologies as a whole, personified by the groundbreaking insights of Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza.
In his overview of Latino/a theology, Orlando Espin highlights the growing impact of Latina feminist contributions to Latino/a theology. However, Espin notes,
  We would be daydreaming and lying to ourselves if we thought that
  this increased awareness and reception of feminist concerns and
  issues has occurred without tension, that it's a "done deal," or
  that most of feminist critical theory has been understood,
  assimilated or even read by most Latino/a theologians (who are
  males). Unfortunately, much Latino/a theology pays lip service to
  feminism, while ignoring it methodologically. (1)

Due to a lack of attention to the concerns and insights of feminist thinkers, Latinos, for the most part, have marginalized women's contributions as exclusively feminist critiques and/or as pertaining solely to women's concerns. Thus nearly all theology written by women is uncritically deemed "feminist," a term that remains inadequately defined within Latino/a theology.
The failure of Latino/a... [continues]

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