Prof MJ Masenya

Full Name: Prof Madipoane Joyce Masenya CoD: The Department of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies Contact Info Tel:  (012) 429 Fax: (012) 429 4495 Email address: masenjm@unisa.ac.za Samuel Pauw Building Floor 5 Office 05-078

Academic Qualifications:
BA, Hons BA (Biblical Studies with OT Specialisation), Higher Education Diploma, MA (Biblical Studies), DLitt et Phil (Biblical Studies, Specialisation in OT)

Current Position:
Chair of  the Department of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Previous experience:
Student Helper:  Department of Biblical Studies: University of the North (UniN) (1981).
Junior Lecturer:  Department of Biblical Studies: UniN (1982)
Teacher/Junior Lecturer:  Setotolwane College of Education: 1982-1985
Teacher: Nkoshilo High School: 1985-1985.
Junior Lecturer:  Setotolwane College of Education: 1985-1986.
Lecturer: Setotolwane College of Education: 1986-1991
Lecturer:  Department: Biblical Studies: UniN: 1991-1995
Lecturer: Department of Old Testament: University of South Africa (Unisa): 1996-1998.                           
Senior Lecturer: Department of Old Testament: Unisa 1998 -2003.
Associate Professor: 2004 to 2007

Full Professor 2007 to date
Chair: Dept: OT & ANE:  2006 to date

Publications:
21 Articles in Accredited Journals
10 Articles published in other journals
Co-author of 2 books
Chapters in books - 11

Articles in Journals Accredited by the South African Accreditation Board
Old Testament Essays, Vol 2 (1): In the School of Wisdom: An Interpretation of Some Old Testament Proverbs in a Northern  Sotho Context, 171-191.

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.
Struggling to find “Africa” in South Africa: A bosadi (Womanhood) approach to biblical texts, SBL Forum (Online Journal), June, 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 Journals

Theologia 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.

Areas of Interest / Expertise
Old Testament and Contextual Concerns affecting Africa (eg landlessness, poverty, patriarchy, HIV/AIDS, etc)
Old Testament Bosadi(Womanhood)/ Womanist/Feminist/ Mujerista Hermeneutics
Old Testament Wisdom Literature (cf particularly the Book of Proverbs)
The Christian Bible and Women

Professional Positions and awards

Recent or important publications