Panel: RELIGION AND THE MAKING OF (IN)EQUALITIES IN AFRICA: POWER, KNOWLEDGE, GENDER, AND COLONIAL LEGACIES



736.4 - WOMEN'S INVISIBILITY AND SUBORDINATION IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY: THE CASE OF AFRICA

AUTHORS:
Mbabazi V. (Department of Religion and Peace Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Makerere University (Uganda) ~ Kampala ~ Uganda)
Text:
This paper critically examines the phenomenon of women's invisibility and subordination within Islamic and Christian traditions, arguing that female marginalization represents not divine prescription but rather the product of deeply entrenched patriarchal social structures and culturally mediated norms that have historically shaped religious interpretation and practice. The widespread conviction among adherents of both Islam and Christianity that men possess God-given superiority over women is shown to lack a coherent theological foundation when scrutinized against the core teachings of these faith traditions. Instead, patriarchal assumptions have been normalized and legitimized through religious discourse, resulting in the systematic exclusion of women from full participation within religious denominations. Through critical analysis of dominant creation narratives and doctrinal motifs, this paper demonstrates how gender hierarchies have been constructed, theologically justified, and institutionally perpetuated across historical contexts. The paper ultimately calls for a justice-oriented hermeneutical approach, a transformative re-reading of sacred texts that affirms women's agency, recognizes their inherent dignity, and restores their visibility and substantive participation in religious life.