Prof M J Masenya
Personal details Madipoane Masenya (ngwan’a Mphahlele) was born in Moletjie, Ga-Manamela, a village located in the Western side of Polokwane, South Africa. Having been nurtured by a patriarchal Christian church at Ga-Mphahlele, her home village, never, has Masenya, even in her wildest dreams, ever thought that she would end up not only earning a terminal degree in the Biblical Sciences (Old Testament Specialisation), but also receiving ministerial credentials for ordained ministry! She earned her Masters degree from the University of South Africa with the following topic of research: “In the School of Wisdom: An Interpretation of Some Old Testament Proverbs in a Northern Sotho Context”. As part of her doctoral research, Masenya engaged in research on womanist/feminist biblical heremeneutics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological seminary in Evanston, Illinois during the months of March 1995, through to June 1995. Her doctoral research focus was on the Old Testament and Bosadi(womanhood) Hermeneutics and the title of her thesis was: Proverbs31:10-31 in a South African Context: A Bosadi(Womanhood) Perspective. Her doctoral work is now available in the form of a book titled: How Worthy is the Woman of Worth? Rereading Proverbs31:10-31 in African-South Africa, published by Peter Lang in New York, USA. She started her career as a junior lecturer at the University of the North, now University of Limpopo in 1982. She then moved to Setotolwane College of Education until when she rejoined the University of Limpopo as lecturer in 1991. In 1996, she joined Unisa as lecturer in the then Department of Old Testament. She is now Associate Professor as well as Chair of this same Department, now called, the Department of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Qualification B A (University of the North/ now University of Limpopo): 1979 Field of interest Old Testament and Contextual Concerns affecting Africa (eg landlessness, poverty, patriarchy, HIV/AIDS, etc) Publications Articles in Journals Accredited by the South African Accreditation Board Scriptura 49, May 1994. A Feminist Perspective on Theology with Particular Reference to Black Feminist Theology, 64-74. Ned. Geref. Teologiese Tydskrif, no 1, March 1994: Wisdom meets Wisdom: Selected Old Testament Proverbs Contextualised in a Northern Sotho Setting, 15-23. Ned. Geref. Teologiese Tydskrif, no 1, March 1995: Freedom in Bondage: Black Feminist Hermeneutics, 115-123. Scriptura 54, May 1995: The Bible and Women: Black Feminist Hermeneutics, 189-201. Old Testament Essays, Vol. 10, No. 3, 1997. Redefining Ourselves: A Bosadi (Womanhood) Approach, 439-448. Semeia 78, 1997. Proverbs 31:10-31 in a South African Context: A Reading for the Liberation of African (Northern Sotho) Women, 55-68. Old Testament Essays, Vol 11, No. 2 1998. A Bosadi (Womanhood) Reading of Genesis16, 271-287. Scriptura 70, 1999, Vol 3. Biblical Authority and the Authority of Women’s Experiences: Whither Way? 229-240. Missionalia (29)2, 2001. Between Unjust Suffering and the “Silent” God: Job and HIV/AIDS Sufferers in South Africa, 186-199. Old Testament Essays (14) 2, 2001. What Differences do African Contexts Make for English Bible Translations? 281-296. Old Testament Essays (15)1, 2002. “...but you shall let every girl live”: Reading Exodus1:1-2:10 the Bosadi (Womanhood) Way, 99-112. Old Testament Essays, Vol 16, No. 2, 2003. A Small Herb Increases Itself (Impact) by a Strong Ordor: Reimagining Vashti in Esther 1 in an African-South African Context, 332-342. Theologia Viatorium, Vol 27, No.1, 2003. Sacrificing Female Bodies at the Altar of Male Priviledge: A Bosadi Reading of Judges 19, 98-122. Journal of Theology in Southern Africa 120, Nov 2004. Struggling with Poverty/Emptiness: Rereading the Naomi-Ruth Story in African-South Africa, 46-59. Old Testament Essays, Vol 17, No. 3, 2004. Teaching Western-Oriented Old Testament Studies to African Students: An Exercise in Wisdom or in Folly? 455-469. Journal of Constructive Theology, Vol, 10, No.1, 2004. The “Sword” that Heals: The Bible and Women in African/South African Pentecostal Churches, 29-40. The Bible and Prophecy in African-South African Pentecostal Churches, Missionalia, March, 2005. The Optimism of the Wise in Africa and in Israel: How Helpful in the Time of HIV/AIDS? Old Testament Essays18 (2), 2005, 296-308. The Bible, HIV/AIDS and African/South African Women: A Bosadi Approach, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 2005, Volxxxi, No1, 187-201. Articles Published in Other JournalsTheologia Viatorium, Vol 21, December 1994: A Northern Sotho Marriage Setting: A Weal or a Woe? : Focus on Some Feminist/Womanist Principles, 29-56. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Vol 11, No 1, Spring 1995: African Womanist Hermeneutics: A Suppressed Voice from South Africa Speaks, 147-155. Bulletin: News for the Human Sciences, Vol 3. No. 1, March 1996: A Woman Reads Proverbs, 10-11. Bulletin for Contextual Theology in Southern Africa and Africa, Vol. 4, No.Two, July 1997: Reading the Bible the Bosadi (Womanhood) Way, 15-16. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Vol. 14, No. 2, Fall 1998. Ngwetši (Bride): The Naomi-Ruth Story from an African-South African Woman’s Perspective, 81-90. Newsletter on African Old Testament Scholarship, 1999, A Mosadi Reading of Prov31:10-31,2-6 National Initiative for the Contextualisation of Theological Education, 2000. Making the Context of African-South African Women a Hermeneutical Focus in Theological Education. Ministerial Formation July/October, 2002. Co-editor with P Gundani, T Maluleke, I Phiri. The State of Theological Education in Southern Africa: Issues and Concerns, 67-75. Bulletin for Old Testament Studies in Africa (12), 2002. Is White South African Old Testament Scholarship African? 3-8. Bulletin for Old Testament Studies in Africa (13), 2002. A Response to Himbaza and Holter, 9-12. African Journal of Biblical Studies, Vol XIX, No.2, 2003. Liberation with Us? Re-reading the Book of Exodus in a Post-Apartheid South Africa. 51-69. HIV/AIDS and African Biblical Hermeneutics: Focus on Southern African Women, Chakana 3 (2005) 5, 21-35. Books:
Co-author with C. Landman : 1997. Their Stories is Ours: Biblical Women and Us. Bible Studies for African-South African Women: Powell Bible Centre: Pretoria. Co-editor with I. Phiri, B. Hadad 2003. African Women, HIV/AIDS and Faith Communities. Cluster. Pietermaritzburg How Worthy is the Woman of Worth? Rereading Proverbs31-10-31 in African-South Africa 2004. Peter Lang: New York. Chapters in Books: In Search of Peace: A South African Context in “Holy Land- Hollow Jubilee: God, Justice and the Palestinians”, Ateek, N A & Prior M (eds). Melisende: London. 1999, 271- 278. Wisdom and Wisdom Converge: Selected Old Testament and Northern Sotho Proverbs, in “Interpreting the Old Testament in Africa: Papers from the International Symposium on Africa and the Old Testament in Nairobi”, Getui, M N, Holter, K & Zinkutatire, V (eds). Acton: Nairobi. 2001, 133-145. Esther and Northern Sotho Stories: An African-South African Woman’s Commentary in “Other Ways of Reading: African Women and the Bible”, Dube M W(ed).SBL: Atlanta. 2001, 27-49. A Bosadi (Womanhood) Reading of Proverbs 31:10-31 in “Other Ways of Reading: African Women and the Bible”, Dube M W(ed). SBL: Atlanta. 2001, 145-157. Polluting your Ground? Woman as Pollutant in Yehud: A Reading from a Globalised Africa in “Towards an Agenda for Contextual Theology: Essays in Honour of Albert Nolan”, Speckman, M T & Kaufmann, L T(eds). Pietermaritzburg: Cluster. 2001, 185-202. An Eco(bosadi) Reading of Psalm 127 in “The Earth Stories in the Psalms and the Prophets”, Habel, N (ed). Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. 2001, 109-122. Mapping Out Theology at Unisa, in “A Book on the Conference Proceedings of the Meeting of African Roman Catholic Scholars in Kumasi, Ghana”, Moerschbacher M(ed) 2003. Trapped Between Two Canons: African- South African Christian Women in the HIV/AIDS Era in “HIV/AIDS, African Women and Faith Communities”. Phiri, I et al (eds). Cluster: Pietermaritzburg. 2003, 113-127. Prophecy as a Method of Speaking about the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Southern Africa in “HIV/AIDS and the Curriculum: Methods of Integrating HIV/AIDS in Theological Programmes”. Dube, M W (ed). WCC: Geneva. 2003, 35-42. A Commentary on the Book of Ruth in “Global Bible Commentary”, Patte, D et al(eds). Abingdon Nashville. 2004, 86-91. Theirs Hermeneutics was Strange! Ours is a Necessity! Reading Vashti in Esther1 as African Women in South Africa in “Her Master’s Tools? Feminist Challenges to Historical-Critical Interpretations: Global Perspectives on Biblical Scholarship”. Van der Stichele, C & Penner,T(eds). SBL: Atlanta, 2005, 179-194.
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