Mary: Portrait of an Im/Possible Image?

Mary is one of the most intriguing and visible religious figures. She is both the object of perennial theological disputes, feminist critiques and popular devotions and inspires many people all over the world. This article focuses on the question whether this highly complex and paradoxical figure of...

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Autore principale: De Haardt, Maaike (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Pubblicazione: 2017
In: ET studies
Anno: 2017, Volume: 8, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 79-97
Notazioni IxTheo:FD Teologia contestuale
KDB Chiesa cattolica
NBJ Mariologia
Accesso online: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Riepilogo:Mary is one of the most intriguing and visible religious figures. She is both the object of perennial theological disputes, feminist critiques and popular devotions and inspires many people all over the world. This article focuses on the question whether this highly complex and paradoxical figure of Mary and Mariology can offer a contribution to overcome the impasse between ‘gender ideology’ and ‘gender justice’. After methodological and hermeneutical considerations, among which a plea to include Marian devotions into systematic reflections, the article focuses on feminist Mariologies, since they are the most outspoken with regard to gender questions. Different approaches and insights of contemporary feminist Mariologies are studied according to their gender transformational potential. Although they are evaluated as strong and challenging alternatives, it is also obvious that there is no simple ‘solution’, nor a univocal new and beyond the gender-dispute interpretation. Marian devotional practices, though far more traditional in outlook, are described from the perspective ‘a sense of presence’, because for many devotees Mary represents divine presence and God’s unconditional love, support or comfort. It is argued that in these transformative processes, images and discourses of a different Mary are intrinsically related with images and discourses of a different God. In fact this interrelatedness of God and Mary functions as the basis of both essentialist gender ideology and non-dualist gender justice. Although an unambiguous answer beyond the gender impasse is not possible, it is the plurivocality in the meaning of Mary and Mariology that in the end opens the road to gender justice.
ISSN:2033-4273
Comprende:Enthalten in: Europäische Gesellschaft für Katholische Theologie, ET studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2143/ETS.8.1.3206573