Divine Words, Female Voices: Conversation and Book Launch with Dr. Jerusha Tanner Rhodes

Divine Words, Female Voices: Conversation and Book Launch with Dr. Jerusha Tanner Rhodes
September 26, 2018, 6:00 – 8:00PM
Union Theological Seminary, Social Hall

The relationship between Islam and feminism is complex. There are many Muslim scholars who fervently promote women’s equality. At the same time, there is ambivalence regarding the general norms, terminology, and approaches of feminism and feminist theology. This ambivalence is in large part a product of various hegemonic, androcentric, and patriarchal discourses that seek to dictate legitimate and authoritative interpretations. These discourses not only fuel ambivalence, they also effectively obscure valuable possibilities related to interreligious feminist engagement.

In this lecture, Dr. Rhodes will discuss her new book – Divine Words, Female Voices: Muslims Explorations in Comparative Feminist Theology (Oxford University Press, 2018) – which argues that interreligious feminist engagement is both a theologically valid endeavor and a vital resource for Muslim women scholars. She will discuss how comparative feminist theology leads to new, constructive Muslima and Islamic feminist positions on topics including revelation, scripture, feminist exemplars, theological anthropology, and ritual practice. 

Books will be available for purchase. ($40, Cash only)
Light refreshments will be served.

Jerusha T. Rhodes is Assistant Professor of Islam and Ministry at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Her research focuses on theologies of religious pluralism, comparative theology, and Muslima theology. She also serves at the Director of Union’s Islam, Social Justice, and Interreligious Engagement Program.

Open to Reason: Souleymane Bachir Diagne in conversation with Katherine Ewing, Nabeel Hamid, and Christia Mercer

Open to Reason: Muslim Philosophers in Conversation with the Western Tradition
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, in conversation with Katherine Ewing, Nabeel Hamid, and Christia Mercer
Thursday, September 20, 2018  6:00pm
Maison Française

What does it mean to be a Muslim philosopher, or to philosophize in Islam? In Open to Reason, Souleymane Bachir Diagne traces Muslims’ intellectual and spiritual history of examining and questioning beliefs and arguments to show how Islamic philosophy has always engaged critically with texts and ideas both inside and outside its tradition. Through a rich reading of classical and modern Muslim philosophers, Diagne explains the long history of philosophy in the Islamic world and its relevance to crucial issues of our own time.

From classical figures such as Avicenna to the twentieth-century Sufi master and teacher of tolerance Tierno Bokar Salif Tall, Diagne explores how Islamic thinkers have asked and answered such questions as, Does religion need philosophy? How can religion coexist with rationalism? What does it mean to interpret a religious narrative philosophically? What does it mean to be human and what are human beings’ responsibilities to nature? Is there such a thing as an “Islamic” state, or should Muslims reinvent political institutions that suit their own times? Diagne shows that philosophizing in Islam in its many forms throughout the centuries has meant a commitment to forward and open thinking. A remarkable history of philosophy in the Islamic world as well as a work of philosophy in its own right, this book seeks to contribute to the revival of a spirit of pluralism rooted in Muslim intellectual and spiritual traditions.

Author: Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Professor of French, Columbia University
Speakers: Katherine Ewing, Professor of Religion, Columbia University; Nabeel Hamid, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania; Christia Mercer, Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University

Sharia Workshop: Imperialist Feminism and Islamic Law

Lena Salaymeh
Associate Professor at the Buchmann Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv University, and currently a Visiting Fellow at the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, Princeton University. Her research concerns Islamic and Jewish jurisprudence in both historical and contemporary legal systems.

We will discuss Dr. Salaymeh’s recirculated paper. To receive a copy please email amb49@columbia.edu

Monday, September 17, 2018
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
208 Knox Hall