Black Madonna: A Womanist Look at Mary of Nazareth

by Courtney Hall Lee

Overview

The figure of the Virgin Mary comes loaded with baggage and preconceptions. She is usually depicted as the perfect, obedient, and highly esteemed woman, much like the Victorian notion of the "angel in the house." For many black women, nothing could be more inaccessible. This book considers the relationship between African American women and Mary of Nazareth. After examining the history of black American motherhood during slavery and beyond, this book then gives an overview of the existing views of Mary in both the church and the academy. Lee then brings African American women and Mary together, creating a womanist Mariology by using womanist biblical and theological interpretation, as well as considering black motherhood during the age of "Black Lives Matter."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498293808
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/18/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	150
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Courtney Hall Lee is a writer, attorney, and co-host of the Dovetail podcast, a show about the intersections of faith, culture, and social justice. Courtney is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate at Hartford Seminary. Courtney is a contributor at Sojourners online and WomenInTheology.org. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and toy poodle.

Courtney Hall Lee is a writer, attorney, and co-host of the Dovetail podcast, a show about the intersections of faith, culture, and social justice. Courtney is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate at Hartford Seminary. Courtney is a contributor at Sojourners online and WomenInTheology.org. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and toy poodle.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Ain't I a Mother? xi

Part 1 Black Motherhood: A History

1 Motherhood During American Slavery 3

2 Still Serving: Domestic Work Post-Slavery 9

3 Sapphire, Mammy, and Jezebel: Stereotypes of Black Women 15

Part 2 Traditional Mariology

4 A Mariology Primer 25

5 The Biblical Mary 39

6 Maryam: Mary in Islam 48

7 Mary's Son: Christology, Virgin Birth, and Mary 58

8 A Feminist Critique of Mary 68

Part 3 A Womanist Mariology

9 Stabat Mater Dolorosa: Black Mothers, Slain Children 79

10 Womanist Theology and Biblical Interpretation 90

11 Black Bodies and the Virginity Problem 105

12 Magnificat-A Freedom Song 114

13 Black Madonna: A Manifesto of a Womanist Mariology 119

Bibliography 127

Index of Authors 133

Index of Ancient Documents 135

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Lee has made a careful introduction for lay readers to the topics of the biblical Mary, Mary in theological imagination, and womanist interpretation. Black Madonna is a small but versatile volume that is invaluable as a primer. Those familiar with the Western tradition of the Madonna will find here challenge and exciting new considerations as Lee puts traditional interpretations in the context of black womanhood, quickening new life in sometimes too-familiar dogmas and devotions.”

— Preston Yancey, Author of Out of the House of Bread: Satisfying Your Hunger for God with the Spiritual Disciplines



“In this short but powerful book, Courtney Hall Lee invites the reader into reverence for Mary, black and beautiful, and by so doing, lifts up all black women as blessed.”

—Julia Feder, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Creighton University

Editorial Reviews

Lee has made a careful introduction for lay readers to the topics of the biblical Mary, Mary in theological imagination, and womanist interpretation. Black Madonna is a small but versatile volume that is invaluable as a primer. Those familiar with the Western tradition of the Madonna will find here challenge and exciting new considerations as Lee puts traditional interpretations in the context of black womanhood, quickening new life in sometimes too-familiar dogmas and devotions.”

— Preston Yancey, Author of Out of the House of Bread: Satisfying Your Hunger for God with the Spiritual Disciplines



“In this short but powerful book, Courtney Hall Lee invites the reader into reverence for Mary, black and beautiful, and by so doing, lifts up all black women as blessed.”

—Julia Feder, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Creighton University

From the Publisher