Call for Papers from The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (The Circle)

Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (The Circle), U.S Chapter 

Circle and Womanist Theologians Sankofa Research Project  

 

Co-editors: Ericka Shawndricka Dunbar, Ph.D., and Yoknyam Dabale, Ph.D. Candidate 

Introduction: Musa W. Dube, Ph.D.

 

The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians was founded in Ghana, West Africa in 1989 with the purpose of amplifying Pan-African and inter-religious theological perspectives of African women. As a means of embodying Sankofa, our next conference in 2024 will be a pilgrimage back to Ghana. In preparation for our return, we are engaged in several research projects that analyze and expand the work of the Circle theological matriarchs, that is, the founders and the earliest champions of the Circle. The Circle has always included sisters both on the continent and in the Diaspora. This call is an expansion of projects already underway that center on the US founding matriarchs, as we endeavor to go back and retrieve their insights and contributions to create more equitable and just futures for African(a) women specifically, and African(a) peoples more generally. Additionally, this is a broader call for exploring other thematic aspects of the Circle, diasporic identities, and womanist theologies. 

We invite papers that reflect not only on the crises that have marked African(a) women’s lives in the diaspora but also on future possibilities and collaborations. These opportune two special-volume issues aim to include papers that capture African(a) women’s reviews of and resistance to gender and ethnic-based oppression and violence across various continents; and resilience in the face of and revision of ideologies, attitudes, and theologies that undergird such practices. The scope of this issue is intended to be broad and inclusive of diverse methodologies, theories, and approaches. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Archival and scholarly research looking at the scholarship, contributions, and legacies of US Circle Sisters.  How have their lives, work, and impact contributed to building communities of resistance, resilience, and revision across various contexts?

  •  Exploration of the intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, places/space, identity, and what we pass on to our future generations. 

  • Exploration of what it means to belong in diasporic places/spaces and resources for navigating those (physical, social, religious, geopolitical) landscapes.

  • Assessment of liberation theologies formed in the context of African(a) culture and religion.

  • Analyses of social issues such as gender and ethnic constructions and hierarchies, poverty, marginalization, sexualized violence, language, etc.

  • Examination of prejudices and biases, freedom/liberation, and research that examines African(a) women’s personal, professional, public, and political representation emphasizing existing cultural norms/biases, questioning societal prejudices, inequities toward women, and resistance to those practices.  

  • Investigation of cultural influences on womanist perceptions/perspectives and theologies.

  •  Circle Members’/Womanists’ transnational and global activism and resistance in all forms.

  • Africana Womanists subjectivities and experiences in Academia.

  • Intersections of Womanist Theologies and Afro-futurism. 

  • Exploration of immigrant women and religious identity in the diaspora.

  • Analyses of African (a) motherhood, health, marginalization, and belonging in Eurocentric spaces looking at it through the religious lens. 

  • Reflection on ways in which mainstream Eurocentric feminist theological discourse on gender influence African(a) discourse on womanhood.

 

Timeline: Please submit a 200-300 word abstract by April 21, 2022

 Please send all submissions and any questions to: thecircleuschapter@gmail.com

Decisions on publication will be made on:  May 15, 2022

 The deadline to complete papers is: September 15, 2022

 The volumes are peer-reviewed and will be published by The Journal of Black Women and Religious Cultures

BWRC Formatting Guidelines: 

Generally, manuscript lengths are 24 to 32 double-spaced pages, approximately 6,500 to 10,000 words (excluding the abstract, notes, and bibliography). Essays must include an abstract of not more than 200 words.

Manuscripts must be double-spaced, left-justified, using 12-point Times New Roman type, and submitted as Microsoft Word .docX files.

Required writing style: Full Chicago humanities citations as endnotes only

All manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. To facilitate anonymous peer review, author names should be indicated on a separate cover page but NOT be included on any other page within the submission. The cover page should include the title of the submission, the author’s (s’) name(s), email address, and institutional affiliation(s).

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