Feminist ethnography in the study of religion

Abstract

What does it mean to be a feminist ethnographer of religion? As a methodological, epistemological, and theoretical framework, feminist ethnography prioritizes participant observation that recognizes copresence, power, and reciprocity between the researcher and her interlocutors and is essential to the study of religion. However, the nature of religious studies as a discipline contributes to a fundamental misunderstanding about the place and importance of feminist ethnography. The normative white, patriarchal, Protestant narratives that form the basis of the field work against its widespread acceptance within the academy. This article brings together scholarship in religious studies with that of anthropology, sociology, and other disciplines to illustrate the significance of feminist ethnography in the study of religion in order to challenge these unspoken and problematic assumptions. By appreciating the outlined "building blocks, " scholars of religion can come to value and potentially employ feminist ethnography in their own work.