Postcolonial Biblical Criticism and Feminist Studies

Abstract After Two-Thirds World Bible scholars connected postcolonial theories with biblical studies in the early 1990s, it took another decade for postcolonial feminist Bible scholars to examine the Bible and its interpretation as part of past and present colonial and gender-oppressive structures of domination. Postcolonial feminist interpretations have proliferated in three main areas: (1) theoretical considerations about the nature, purpose, and goals of postcolonial feminist exegesis; (2) text-centered readings of particular biblical books, chapters, and themes or characters; and (3) some considerations on (post)colonial biblical interpretation histories with attention to sexism and gender issues. Challenges remain for postcolonial feminist exegetes. Yet, overall, postcolonial feminist exegetes continue to be called to make important scholarly contributions in solidarity with the ongoing struggles of bringing justice, peace, and the integrity of creation into the world.