Feminist Epistemology- Important tools of feminist interpretation of History

Feminist Epistemology

Important tools of feminist interpretation of History

(i) Historical Reconstruction

A feminist method of historical reconstruction conceptualises women’s history not just as oppression by men but as the story of women’s struggle against Kyriarchal struggle of subordination and oppression. This looks at history not in a positive way but as a consciously constructed narrative, as the story of power relations and struggles. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza argues that a feminist historical reconstructive method challenges the traditional dominant way in which history is written.A critical feminist rhetorical analysis look to break the Kyriarchal text and its authority by going against the ideological directives and hierarchically arranged binary opposites to disclose the Kyriarchal politics texts and interpretation of the texts.

(ii) Historical Imagination

Historical re-imagination is one of the earliest methods developed in feminist biblical interpretation to personally identify the women characters of the biblical stories. It also brings out women characters even in stories where they are not explicitly mentioned.

Fiorenza encourages students to write history from the perspective of early Christian women who played prominent roles with impulse from historical imagination. These writings will help to bring out the hidden histories of women in the androcentric texts.

(iii) Feminist Re-imaginations of Theological Authority

Prasana Kumari argues that God has created women with equal status and dignity. But the society is often discriminative, oppressive and inhuman. This shows that the God given status to women is subordinated and neglected.

Philo says that the theological anthropology of humanity was that humans were created in God’s image which was first in the spiritual non-gendered form. It was only because of the sinful nature of human the division began. For Philo inequality was the “cause of all evil.” Prisca and Maximmilla were women leaders who were gifted with prophecy and leadership. They were
respected along with Marcion.

Rosemary Radford Ruether opines that the church fathers were in favour of a hierarchical church and so demanded the submission of women. Tertullian limits women gift of the spirit to the private realm. Aquinas taught that women were biologically defective and lacked the nature of a complete human being. Even Luther and Calvin said that the redeeming work of Christ does not alter subordination of women. Feminist Re-imaginations of Theological Authority is imperative.