Feminism and Religion

Rita Gross is one of the pioneers in the movement of feminist study in religion. She, along with colleagues such as Carol P. Christ and Mary Daly, have had the challenging duty of representing feminist scholars in this field of past androcentric focus-- this book reads like a Who's Who of feminist scholars and works as a good jumping-off place for further study. By itself, it provides a good overview for evaluating the difference between furthering the feminist interest and seeking an androgynous balance in scholarship. She explores the two basic models of reaction which feminists have had to traditional belief structures, reformist and revolutionary, and traces the paths each have taken. Gross also has the distinct advantage of being a feminist scholar with background in the study of eastern religions, specifically Buddhism. She encourages others to branch out and examine how adrocentrism has affected other worldviews as well as the western, primarily Abrahamic one. So this book presents a feminist analysis on two levels: that of the historical religions, as well as the study of religion itself. It is definitely an awakening for anyone who is unfamiliar with how dramatic an effect a paradigm shift can have in scholarship.