Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 13 April 2013.

Phone: 617-495-5705
Website: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/wsrp
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Description

The Women's Studies in Religion Program (WSRP) at Harvard Divinity School "promotes critical inquiry into the interaction between religion and gender. It sponsors research and teaching in feminist theology, biblical studies, ethics and women's history, as well as interdisciplinary scholarship on women throughout the world's religions." The Program has hosted over 100 visiting scholars in the course of its history.

History

WSRP was founded in 1973 in response to the unprecedented numbers of women seeking formal theological education. The scholarship it has produced over the years has had far-reaching implications within the academy, transforming "the study of religion and the theological education of ministers and religious leaders [by challenging] long-held assumptions about the meaning of religious scriptures, the presence of women as religious leaders, and the significance of religious teaching and practices." Consequently, the program's impact has reverberated into religious communities and the public sphere.

Research Associates

Through courses, publications, and public offerings, WSRP seeks to reach the broadest possible audience. Its interdisciplinary approach attracts scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines, career backgrounds, and social contexts. At least one of the five Research Associates hosted each year is drawn from the international community. Each of the scholars is appointed to a department faculty, and is required to teach a course and deliver a lecture related to her research topic. An Advisory Board is instrumental in selecting the Research Associates and in providing future direction to the Program.

25th Anniversary

On February 3, 2006 the WSRP will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with a national conference highlighting both the contributions of religious scholarship to contemporary women's issues and the many important books that have come out of the Program.

Research and Social Change

Current WSRP Director, Ann Braude, said, "The study of religion allows the exploration of the most fundamental ideas that shape women's lives." Religions are often the source and overseer of various cultural mandates, many of which profoundly effect women. Sound research can assist in the quest for understanding such complex realities, while the context in which it is undertaken can serve as a sounding board for social change in the interests of women's welfare. WSRP serves both of these functions.