WATAC explores feminisms for the future

5 February 2021
Image: Jude Beck/Unsplash.

 

WATAC, the activist and advocacy organisation Women and the Australian Church, has announced the topic for the February 2021 session of their popular bi-monthly series of interactive webinars that seek to build community and provide theological formation for women across Australia. 

Guests Dr Kathleen McPhillips, a sociologist of religion, gender and violence based at the University of Newcastle and Dr Trish Madigan OP, a Dominican Sister who is currently writing the herstory of WATAC, will address the topic Feminisms and Australian Christian Women.

Currently, Dr Kathleen McPhillips teaches at the University of Newcastle. Her areas of expertise are women and religion, gendered violence, and the child sexual abuse crisis in religious organisations. She has written histories of the women and religious movements in Australia, completed a socio-cultural study of Mary MacKillop and Australian sainthood, and conducted numerous research projects into institutional child sexual abuse. Kathleen has published extensively across these topics in Journal of the Feminist Studies in Religion, Child Abuse and Neglect, Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, Feminist Theology and Religions. She is currently researching the politics of gendered violence in religious organisations and is the leader of the Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Network at the University of Newcastle. 

Dr Trish Madigan OP, former executive director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Catholic Church, received a doctorate from the University of Sydney on the topic of “Women and Fundamentalism in Islam and Catholicism”. She has worked on intercultural research projects for organisations such as the Australian Human Rights Commission, Macquarie University Law School, the Australian Women’s Coalition (AWC), and the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and was a member of the Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) from 2015 to 2019 and its chair from 2018-2019. Trish is the author of two books and has contributed to many publications. 

President of WATAC, Andrea Dean said “This conversation will give a context for the development of women’s movements within and beyond Christian churches in Australia, including WATAC. You are guaranteed a deep and thoughtful examination of feminism. I can’t recommend this topic highly enough as we look at women’s roles into the future.” 

WATAC Presents is on Wednesday 10 February from 6pm to 7pm AEDT. Register via the website (www.watac.net.au) to participate. 

Established in 1984, Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) is an incorporated organisation committed to a Church characterised by equality.

With thanks to WATAC.

 

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