Women of Faith and the Quest for Spiritual Authenticity
Comparative Perspectives from Malaysia and Britain
Sara Ashencaen Crabtree author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:26th Sep '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£145.00(9780367436759)
Drawn from over fifty-eight individual, in-depth, qualitative interviews with women of faith in Malaysia and Britain, Women of Faith and the Quest for Spiritual Authenticity is a multifaith, multicultural and cross-cultural comparative focus that explores women’s religious expressions, as derived from practising Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Wiccans and Druids among others.
Despite social advances towards women’s emancipation and the lacerating critiques from feminist theologians across the Abrahamic religions and beyond, women’s religious experiences remain submerged beneath the weight of patriarchal religious leadership and ongoing masculinised, dogmatic interpretations. Even feminism itself has yet to move the spiritual onto their main agenda of inequity in women’s lives. This extensive, feminist research monograph challenges these exclusions to centre and amplify women’s voices in speaking powerfully of their religious experiences, interpretations and practices.
This is an ecumenical and entertaining ethnography where women’s narratives and life stories ground faith as embodied, personal, painful, vibrant, diverse, illuminating and shared. This book will of interest not only to academics and students of the sociology of religion, feminist and gender studies, politics, ethnicity and Southeast Asian studies, but is equally accessible to the general reader broadly interested in faith and feminism.
"If being female is challenging, being a woman of faith often adds further complexity, irrespective of one’s beliefs. This is scholarship of the highest order as Sara Ashencaen Crabtree deftly weaves the stories of the 59 women she interviewed in Britain and Malaysia with previous research, key tenets of diverse belief systems as well has her own struggles with faith. The deep respect Ashencaen Crabtree demonstrates to her informants who reciprocate in turn share their stories, the authenticity of such is that each will arouse a response from the reader, and that may be anything from hope to horror. Any stereotypes the reader may have brought to this book are likely to shattered, including those about religious beliefs or practices, or even that scholarly writing must be unintelligible to all but other experts in a field. Those who do not identify as scholars should not be put off – this is a book for anyone who would enjoy some thoughtful consideration of what it means to be a woman of faith."
Beth R. Crisp, Professor and Discipline Leader for Social Work at Deakin University
"Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree has produced a brilliant piece of work that is both accessible and highly instructive for both students of the sociology of religion and lay readers. The book works brilliantly on two levels: on the one hand, it offers an astute feminist, sociological account of women’s expressions of faith, explored across a broad range of religions and two country contexts sharing similar challenges with religious plurality: Malaysia and the UK. On the other, it is a treasure trove of fascinating stories amassed by the author on a very personal intellectual and emotional "pilgrimage" through the world of religious identities and mythologies that remains as mysterious as it is compelling for modern society. The emphasis on women’s experience of faith is refreshing, helping to show that the latter can also be a springboard for personal expression and empowerment."
Dr Rana Jawad,Senior Lecturer, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath
ISBN: 9780367726225
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 303g
202 pages