I cannot get the photo out of my head that presents a collage of twenty of the House Republicans responsible for shutting down the government since October 1, 2013. There are more than twenty of them but the photo shows those elected by wide margins. In other words, these twenty politicians “stand their ground” because […]
Talking about sexuality AND religion for a living can be a daunting task. These topics come with a host of stereotypes, not to mention a presumption of privacy. Another way to describe what I do is to say that I “talk taboos.” Now, that’s not new news for most feminists. Speaking and writing about the […]
We have a wonderful museum here in Nashville, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The Frist is a non-collecting museum. Without a permanent collection, it curates exhibitions or provides a home for traveling exhibitions from around the country and the world throughout the year. This means that we get treated to everything from […]
My three kids went back to school a few weeks ago. Now I can’t get the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” out of my head, and it isn’t even Christmas! My kids spent a lot of the summer at home (when we were not travelling), so it is wonderful to have […]
I am a football fan—a devout one at that. Though I would not be a womanist if I did not add that I have no true genuine favorite team on the collegiate or professional levels. I tend to root hard for the team that I’m closest to geographically. So, now that I am at Vanderbilt, […]
The Women and Religion section of the American Academy has been around for over 40 years. As a member of the steering committee, I have been contemplating what the next 40 years will bring. When asked to be on this particular section of AAR, I was honored. Its history and the efforts of those who […]
Geeta Iyengar does not only need a vacation. She needs to retire. At least this is my view after studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India, this July. I grant that things may have taken a turn for the worse. It is also possible that July was an exception to […]
The week of June 24, 2013 was an exceedingly mixed bag for many of us. On one hand, the Supreme Court struck down the Act to Define and Protect the Institution of Marriage (DOMA) that was enacted in 1996 on June 26th. Then President Bill Clinton agreed with both houses of Congress that a federal […]
If there is anything new under the religious sun in the United States it is the changing patterns of how people are or are not religious. What this means for feminist studies in religion is of interest to me because it reshapes the backdrop of our work. One of the major religious stories of the […]
I’m planning a Great Gatsby theme party this summer. I’ve long wanted to plan such a party as I live an idyllic New England community (albeit not on the Long Island Sound) where playing lawn games, drinking old fashioned drinks and dressing in 1920’s attire seem quaint rather than out of place. My desire for […]