Beyond the Womanist Classroom
Have You Ever Had a Launch Party for Your Publication?
Dear Research Network, Colleagues and Friends,
Have you ever published a journal issue and celebrated with a “Launch Party?” Well, the Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network just did this very thing. First, we had a “Pre-Launch” where authors and editors met. Then, our celebrate “launch” was a tremendous honor! We were hosted by Dr. Mitzi Smith on her podcast, Beyond the Womanist Classroom. What are we celebrating? The special issue of the African Journal of Gender and Religion. This special issue is titled, “Black Women’s Radical Religious Epistemologies in Mahogany and Steepled Towers.”
The July 2024 issue of the African Journal of Gender and Religion is not to be missed! You can help us by downloading and listening to the podcast, and by downloading your free copy of the journal issue. That’s right - it’s completely free!
Since its inception in 2020, the Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network has been entrusted with the privilege of elevating the voices of African-descended women within religious scholarship—a crucial task that we have undertaken with deep commitment and urgency. This issue unites voices too often overlooked, presenting a profoundly transformative religious epistemology that challenges and redefines traditional narratives.
Within the journal pages, you will find the wisdom of African-descended women not only centered but celebrated, drawing from the rich well of communal and ancestral knowledge. The five essays, introductory piece, and book reviews collectively exemplify this radical shift, making visible the essential contributions of these scholars. This work is not merely important; it is vital. We therefore invite you to engage with this issue, to share it, and to join us in amplifying these voices further.
As part of this celebration, the M2M Research Network editors—Drs. Nash, Webster, and Patel—hosted a Launch Party, where writers and editors connected to discuss their work. Following that meeting, we were featured in the first of two episodes for Beyond the Womanist Classroom. In the August 31st episode, our esteemed host, Dr. Mitzi Smith, conducted interviews with some of our editors and authors, offering deeper insights into the significance of their scholarship. You can access Season 2, Episode 5, "Black Women's Radical Religious Epistemologies in Mahogany and Steepled Towers," through the provided link. Part 2 will be recorded in late September 2024.
The implications of this work are far-reaching. We invite you to celebrate these extraordinary scholars by downloading and sharing the podcast, helping to shift the position of Black women from the margins to the center of religious scholarship. These scholars, often independent and burdened with student loan debt, face significant barriers to securing professorships and lectureships.
By amplifying their voices, we open doors to publishing opportunities, academic grants, paid fellowships, and employment. In addition to your financial support, please listen and share the podcast. Your support is invaluable.
We truly appreciate you!
The Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network (c) 2024
Here's the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2034701/15674737
Here are the show notes:
In Season 2, Episode 5, podcast host welcomes co-editors and contributors of the special issue of the African Journal of Gender and Religion entitled "Black Women's Radical Religious Epistemologies in Mahogany & Steepled Towers."
Co-editors:
Dr. CL Nash is a Political Theology Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science. She is also a recent recipient of the prestigioous JIAS Writing Fellowship. Nash directs the Misogynoir to Mishpat ("hatred of Black women to justice") Research Network.
Dr. Geeta Patel is an interdisciplinary scholar, poet/translator, curator, and writer-activist, with degrees in three sciences, philosophy, and South Asian Studies. Institutional Affiliation: University of Virginia
Contributors:
Dr. Anna Perkins ("On/Unstained White Dress(es)...: Afro- Caribbean Female Purity in Sacred Spaces in Three Caribbean Women Poets") is a Senior Programme Officer with the Quality Assurance Unit, Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies, University of the West Indies. Perkins earned a PhD in ethics.
Dr. Clementine Nishimwe ("Doing Church Differently: Crafting a Church Using the Circle's Theologizing Methodologies in a Xenophobic and Gendered Context") is a postdoctoral researcher at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
Dr. Claudette Anderson ("Obeah/Obia by Igbo Spelling: Affirming the Value of After God is Dibia") is Executive Director and Professor of Ọbịa at Unụchi Foundation, an Afro-Atlantic Religious Reparations nonprofit.
You can find the petition mentioned in the podcast on Change.org under Repeal 1898 Obeah Law.