This book surveys a broad panorama of Christian and African traditions to discover and assess the components that will illuminate and motivate a Christian and African ethic of women's political participation. The author's primary lens for diagnosing the problems faced by women in Africa is Engelbert Mveng's concept of "anthropological poverty" that results from slavery and colonialism. It affects women in unique ways and is exacerbated by the religious and cultural histories of women's oppression. The author advocates an interplay between the sacredness of every individual's life, a salient principle of Christian ethics, and the collective consciousness of solidarity distinctive to African cultures. This interplay can, in turn, foster a more enlightened approach to African masculinity. Using a "sophialogical" hermeneutic, this in-depth study undertakes a moral imagination through narrative criticism. It argues that the existential reality of African women must be addressed as an essential element in the development of Christian socio-political ethic. The righteous, solidaristic, and resistant anger of women can transform patriarchy and inform Catholic social teaching. The author draws on The Circle of concerned African women theologians, postcolonial theorists, inculturation theology, African males, and Jon Sobrino's liberation theology to present an innovative Christian ethic that will radically affect the lives of African women and inform feminist theology.
Leocadie W. Lushombo is a consecrated woman, member of the Teresian Association (Institucion Teresiana), assistant professor of theological ethics at the Jesuit School of Theology/Santa Clara University, and a visiting professor at the Catholic University of the Congo.
Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction Part One: The Scope of Anthropological Poverty in Africa Chapter 1: Anthropological Pauperization: History, Causes, and Effects Chapter 2: African Women's Anthropological Poverty Part Two: African Women's Empowering Sociopolitical and Cultural Legacy Chapter 3: African Proverbs and African Traditional Religions Chapter 4: African Myths and Female Power Chapter 5: African Women Historical Figures and Political Agents Part Three: Christian Ethics and The Challenges of Women's Political Participation Chapter 6: Catholic Social Teaching and Women's Political Participation Chapter 7: Christian Discipleship and Women's Political Participation Chapter 8: Women, Solidaristic Anger, and the Preferential Option for the Poor Part Four: African Women's Voices: Implications to Christian and African Ethic Chapter 9: African Women Living as Risen Beings Chapter 10: African Women's Solidarity, Hope, and Resilience Chapter 11: African Women as Loci Theologici: Ethical Implications Bibliography Index About the Author
With exhaustive research, profound insight, and great compassion, Leocadie W. Lushombo exposes the root causes of the anthropological poverty of women in Africa and advocates a Christian/African ethic for the empowerment of women and their full participation in political life as well as a radical spiritual renewal based on the reimagining of biblical and African texts in the light of resurrection faith. This is a monumental work to be studied, pondered, and lived. -- Veronica Mary Rolf, author of Suddenly There is God
