Circle Thinking: African Women Theologians in Dialogue With the West (Studies of Religion in Africa) (Studies of Religion in Africa)

This volume traces the origins of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, a group of African women theologians established in the 1980s. The movement has been dedicated to research, publication and support of African women. The text traces a struggle against excluding and alienating practices from Western missionary tradition and African cultural transpositions in contemporary church and society. The theology of advocacy which has emerged encourages African women to develop theologies of empowerment from their histories and struggles, and addresses the multiple crises which the continent faces. The problematics of culture, ethics and post-colonialism is explored in the issues surrounding ubiquitous violence against women on the continent and the continuation of clitoridectomy as an enduring strategy for marking gender and clan for some African peoples.