Her Master's Tools?

Book excerpt: This collection of essays, originating in the SBL International Meetings in Berlin (2002) and Cambridge (2003), explores the current reception of historical criticism in feminist biblical studies, pushing the boundaries of past study and opening new vistas for future research. By framing the discussion in the context of the current reevaluation of both historical criticism and feminist exegesis, the contributors highlight the ongoing need to engage methodological issues. In addition, a strong postcolonial emphasis throughout the volume challenges the hegemony of Western biblical interpretation, promoting a format of dialogue and engagement. The collection brings together diverse cultural and geographical perspectives on biblical criticism, with over ten countries represented. Consisting of Western and non-Western perspectives, female and male scholars, junior and senior voices in the field, and a range of feminist scholars situated alongside postcolonial and gender critics, this collection reveals not only the multiplicity of perspectives but also the various transitions in scholarship that have taken place over the past thirty years. Volume contributors include Roland Boer, Athalya Brenner, Ann Graham Brock, Kristin De Troyer, Esther Fuchs, Archie Chi Chung Lee, Joseph Marchal, John Marshall, Hjamil Martínez-Vázquez, Madipoane Masenya (ngwana Mphahlele), Judith McKinlay, Priscilla Geisterfer Nyvlt, Jorunn Økland, Todd Penner, Vernon Robbins, Susanne Scholz, Hanna Stenström, and Caroline Vander Stichele.Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org).