Women and Religion in Zimbabwe

Strides and Struggles

Ezra Chitando, Sophia Chirongoma, Kudzai Biri

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781978785519
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christianity

The chapters in this volume foreground the ambivalent role of religion and culture when it comes to African women's health and well-being. Reflecting on the three major religions in Africa, i.e. African Indigenous Religions, Christianity, and Islam, the authors illustrate how religious beliefs and practices can either enhance or hinder women's holistic progress and development. With a specific focus on Zimbabwean women's experiences of religion and culture, the volume discusses how African Indigenous Religions, Christianity, and Islam tend to privilege men and understate the value of women in Africa. Adopting diverse theological, ideological, and political positions, contributors to this volume restate the fact that the key teachings of different religions, often suppressed due to patriarchal influences, are a potent resource in the quest for gender justice. In sync with the goals for gender justice and women empowerment envisioned in the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and Africa Agenda 2063, the contributors advocate for gender-inclusive and life-enhancing interpretations of religious and cultural traditions in Africa.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Introduction: Women and Religion in Zimbabwe and the Role of Men
• Harnessing Ndau Religious and Socio-Cultural Beliefs and Practices for Celebrating Women Power
• Rural Women Utilizing African Indigenous Religion(s) in Environmental Conservation: A Case of
• Reconfiguring Lost African Religious Tradition: A Feminist Inquiry into Pre-colonial Gender Co
• African Traditional Religious Women and Reproductive Health: The Case of Mutasa Rural in Mutar
• Woman, Thou Art Cursed? The Case of SARE in Shona Culture
• Imagining a Church with Equal Opportunities among the Clergy: A Theological and Cultural Dilem
• Leadership Struggles in the Church: Interfacing and Theologizing the Leadership of Women Clerg
• From Exclusivism to Inclusivism: The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) Rules and Regulatio
• Untying the Cords of Patriarchy: A Critique of Violence against Women and the Role of Pentecos
• Cultures, Women, and the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe
• Unlocking Judges 13 to Advocate for Women’s Leadership in a Patriarchal System
• “Teacher, This Woman Was Caught in the Very Act of Committing Adultery” (John 8:4b): The Bible
• Young Christian Women as Agents of Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Muriny
• Women’s Sexuality: A Tool for Media Advertising in Zimbabwe?
• Religio-Cultural Ideologies, Women, and the Economy: Gender Inequality in the Mining Sector in
• The Currency That Buys Peace: Reparation in Gabriel García Márquez’s The Sad and Incredible
• Towards Women’s Empowerment in Africa: Insights from the Capability Approach
• Help/Hindrance? The Role of Religion in Women’s Participation in Politics in Zimbabwe
• Ring or Title: Examining the Role of the Church in the Land Co-Ownership Clause Advocacy in Ug
• Index
• About the Contributors