Abstract
This concluding reflection sets the volume and its chapters in context. It begins by explaining why the 1980s were so important for the emergence of religion and gender as an area of study, and ends by considering where the field is currently heading. In between, it reflects on what has been achieved. It shows how fundamentally the study of religion as a whole has been changed by the work of a relatively small number of scholars, but how gender studies and theology (and mainstream Christian churches) have been less affected, despite the important role of feminist theologians in shaping this approach.
Ethnographers report that women cannot be reached as easily as men. They giggle when young, snort when old, reject the question, laugh at the topic and the like.
Edwin Ardener, ‘The Problem of Women’ (1972)
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Woodhead, L. (2016). Afterword. In: Gemzöe, L., Keinänen, ML., Maddrell, A. (eds) Contemporary Encounters in Gender and Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42598-6_15
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