A history of resistance: Ivone Gebara's transformative feminist liberation theology

• Main Author: Elaine Nogueira-Godsey
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa
• Series: Journal for the Study of Religion
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1011-76012013000100007&lng=en&tlng=en

This paper explores the life and work of Brazilian Catholic nun and leading Latin American feminist liberation theologian Ivone Gebara. The paper aims to examine Gebara's commitment to social justice based on her calling. I argue that Gebara's search for liberation has shaped her understanding of what the theological task ought to be, and contend that she serves as an example of a progression from a purely liberationist viewpoint to the ecofeminist perspectives emerging out of localised experiences; and that these in turn largely contributed to the development of her methodology and feminist theological vision. The paper attempts to show that her pioneering feminist work and her own life have inspired Christian women locally and globally to contest the androcentric theology that objectifies and diminishes women's place within the Church.