2019 New Scholars Award Winners

The 2019 Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards first-place prize was given to two emerging scholars in the field of feminist studies in religion: Darrius D’wayne Hills for his article, “‘Admirable or Ridiculous?’: The Burdens of Black Women Scholars and Dialogue in the Work of Solidarity” and Zachary Thomas Settle for “Spinning Survival with Witch Words: What Mary Daly Taught Me about Theological Language.” This is the first year two co-winners were awarded first place.

The articles went through a double-blind judging process after being accepted by the editors of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion.

“Both contribute to their fields and to the field of feminist studies in religion in ways that are nuanced, creative, and well-written,” wrote one judge of the two winners.

Another judge elaborated that Hills’s article “captures well the dilemma that African American women colleagues describe, albeit from a male perspective, giving voice to a relatively new constituency in the effort to end this burden on women of color,” adding that Hills’s concept of “identity negotiation as communal praxis” (p. 15) was particularly intriguing.

Regarding Settle’s work, the judge wrote that his paper “took seriously the many and varied ways [Mary] Daly’s work is considered today but focuses on theological language as a locus for change. It is a subtle and at times complicated argument that the author makes well. It recognizes the depth and seriousness, one could say the genius, of her method without taking sides on particular issues.”

The Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards were so named in honor of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, the Co-Founder and Co-Editor of JFSR, on the occasion of her 70th birthday (April 2008). Elisabeth’s contributions to fostering critical feminist scholarship and building solidarity for change run deep and wide. By naming these awards given to promising feminist scholars after Elisabeth, we recognize both the historical impact of her work, as well as the many ways that her acumen and energy continue to enrich, inspire, and advance feminist studies in religion.

The Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards signal our awareness of the need to encourage and give recognition to the emerging voices of new scholars, whose research and insights will shape the future of feminist studies in religion.

Read issue 35.2 of The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion here on our website.