Reflections on and the Impact of the "Teaching for Change" Conference

The 2005 Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Inc., conference "Teaching for Change" gave me the opportunity to learn from renowned feminist scholars in theology and religious studies. Reflections on methodologies and pedagogies, which were reflected in the dynamics of the conference organization, confirmed my conviction that the wide range of our historical and political contexts shape, to some extent, our methodologies and pedagogies for effective teaching.

As feminists, our general goals are to challenge patriarchal systems and structures and develop life-affirming paradigms that respect the dignity and worth of women as capable of participating in all aspects of the community. However, the tools and approaches we employ to effect positive change are not always or necessarily alike given the rich variations of the contexts in which we teach for change.

It was encouraging and refreshing for me to see how the participants affirmed one another despite our differences in methodologies. Perhaps this was because we have all embarked on a common journey, the journey to "trouble the waters," namely the patriarchal systems that we continue to experience and struggle with in our various contexts despite so many years of feminists efforts.

Another important aspect of the conference was the strong emphasis the participants placed on the need for networking and sharing information with one another in varying ways. For example, my department received copies of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, which were sent to me after the conference and which both students and staff find useful. In reading articles in the issues, they feel connected with other women struggling with patriarchy and learn about feminist theories from other scholars.

The online roundtable discussions we had with members of our small groups before the conference provided opportunities to learn from and about our fellow participants as well as fully preparing us for the event. That some of us could not continue communicating in this manner with our group members due to technological problems in our parts of the world is a pity.

One of my constant questions is how to get (religious) leaders, most of whom are men, to take interest in and take seriously feminist discourse, especially when the feminist movement is viewed with suspicion as a movement bent on taking over their "God-given power." One of the ways in which I deal with the struggle, which comes down to the need for serious conscientization about feminist discourse, is use any opportunity or platform I have as a teacher, by introducing students to feminist/gender discourse.

After the meeting, I had the opportunity to join a team that organized a summer master's program in the Study of Religions and Theology for adult students. I took the opportunity and quickly developed an introductory course on African women's theology for a class of fifty-four adult students who had registered with the University of Ghana through my department for the program. Besides a Presbyterian pastor's wife and a Roman Catholic sister who left her orders, almost all the male students were ordained pastors, most from Pentecostal and charismatic traditions. Others came from Anglican/Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian traditions.

Since I am convinced that effective teaching takes seriously the various backgrounds of the students who are its "subjects," we began the class by a ritual of naming and knowing ourselves as people who have embarked on a common journey of sharing and learning from one another. This, coupled with an open and honest introductory discussion on students' expectations for the course, was very helpful for us because it revealed that about 95 percent of the men would not have enrolled in the course had they been able to avoid it.

These men did not know that women could do theology. The majority of them were apprehensive about the importance and worth of African women's theologies. To them, the women who are holding up their churches cannot do theology as they understand it. Given the strong conservative and evangelical background of the men in my class, I was not surprised at this initial reaction and their conclusion...