There continues to be a dearth of scholarly published material about African women in leadership. Fortunately, JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies has made a concerted effort to highlight women’s leadership roles in African societies through the publication of two special issues on women as political leaders (Issue 9, 2006 and Issue 10, 2007). This special issue will focus on women as religious leaders. We are hoping for both historical and contemporary views of African and African descended women
serving as religious leaders. For example, John S Mbiti, the pre-eminent African philosopher noted that women served as leaders within African Traditional Religion (Mbiti, 1988). Similarly, there are women serving within both mainline and African instituted churches in African countries. However, women do continue to be underrepresented in the highest levels of religious leadership, in a phenomenon named the ‘stained glass ceiling’ not only in Africa but other countries around the world (Adams, 2007; Sullins, 2000). The special issue will focus on women breaking that stained glass ceiling, in terms of the strategies they use to survive and thrive as leaders in religious institutions – churches, religious schools and religious organizations. Papers are invited which are focused but not limited the following sub topics:
* Historical portraits of women as religious leaders in ATR
* Contemporary portraits of women religious leaders
* Conceptual papers historicizing women’s leaders
* Papers explicating theories useful in interrogating women’s leadership experiences in religious contexts
* Country and/or denomination specific accounts of women’s religious leader-ship
* Women’s spiritual leadership outside of religious organizations
The papers will be blind peer reviewed by at least two reviewers so do not include identifying information in the body of your paper. Papers must be submitted by May 1, 2011.
Adams, J. (2007). “Stained Glass Makes the Ceiling Visible: Organizational Opposition to Women in Congregational Leadership.” Gender & Society, 21 (1), 80-105. doi: 10.1177/0891243206293773
Mbiti, J. S. (1988). “The Role of Women in African Traditional Religion.” Retrieved March 23, 2004, from
http://afrikaworld.net/afrel/atr-women.htm
Sullins, P. (2000). “The Stained Glass Ceiling: Career Attainment for Women Clergy. Sociology of Religion, 61 (3), 23.
