Here is the announcement from the CIIS Administration. Congratulations, Annette!
It is our pleasure to announce that Dr. Annette Williams has accepted the position of Chair and Core Faculty in the Women’s Spirituality program.
Annette Williams, ASWM 2020 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Annette Williams holds a doctorate in Philosophy and Religion with specialization in Women’s Spirituality as well a master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in Jungian and archetypal approaches. Her research interests have centered on healing from sexual trauma at the level of the soul that involves reclamation of the powerful erotic (à la Audre Lorde) and libidinal energies (à la Jung) suppressed by assault. An initiate within and student of Yorùbá Ifá tradition, Annette has had the privilege of lecturing on the philosophy and lived reality of this West African religion. Her more recent research takes up the theme of women’s spiritual power and agency within the tradition with specific reference to the primordial feminine authority of àjẹ́. Annette has also been a French/English translator and bi-lingual volunteer at sexual assault and women’s centers.
The Goddess Studies Unit of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region, is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of female (cis/LGBTQ/non-binary inclusive) figures and goddesses in religion, mythology, and culture. Possible lenses of critique include, but are not limited to: Gender and LGBTQ studies, history, literature, film, folklore, psychology, and/or critical race theory.
See CFP for AAR West here. The deadline for submissions to the Goddess Studies Unit is Friday, September 30, 2016.
The conference will be held on March 10-12, 2017 at Loyola Marymount University in the Westchester community of Westside Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Annette L. Williams received the 2016 Kore Award for Best Dissertation, for Our Mysterious Mothers: The Primordial Feminine Power of Àjẹ́ in the Cosmology, Mythology, and Historical Reality of the West African Yoruba written for the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Established in 2010 by ASWM co-founder Patricia Monaghan, the Kore Award recognizes excellence and relevance in dissertation research. The award was conferred at the 2016 ASWM Conference, via Skype due to schedule conflicts.
The text of Dr. William’s award letter reads,
You write that among the Yoruba, àjẹ́ is the primordial force of causation and creation. It is the power of the feminine, of female divinity and women, and the women themselves who wield this power. Unfortunately, it has been translated as “witch” or “witchcraft” with attendant malevolent connotations. Though the fearsome nature of àjẹ́ cannot be denied, it is actually a richly nuanced term. Examination of Yoruba sacred text, Odu Ifa, reveals a spiritual and temporal power exercised in religious, judicial, political, and economic domains throughout Yoruba history.
Your dissertation explores the many factors contributing to the duality in attitude towards àjẹ́, forcing an intense representation of their fearsome aspects to the virtual disavowal of their positive dimensions. You were able to interview people with knowledge of àjẹ́ both in Yorubaland in Africa, and in the United States. You employed transdisciplinary methodologies and multiple lenses, including hermeneutics, historiography and critical theory to tease out the place of àjẹ́ within Yoruba cosmology and historical reality. You critically read the influence both of sexist patriarchy and colonialist British imperialism in the culture and in the reading of the Odu Ifa.
You write, “In our out-of-balance world, there might be wisdom to be gleaned from beings that were given the charge of maintaining cosmic balance. Giving proper respect and honor to “our mothers” (awon iya wa) who own and control àjẹ́, individuals are called to exercise their àjẹ́ in the world in the cause of social justice, to be the guardians of a just society.”
Social change inspires art and is also inspired by it. The work of contemporary visual artists, activists, poets and performers has paralleled the resurgence of interest in ancient symbols and cultures of the goddess. These artists, who intuitively seek to articulate long-obscured concepts of women and divinity, are able to interpret the ancient past to inspire new generations.
Mayumi Oda in “Goddess in Art” TV Series
Produced and moderated by author and educator Starr Goode, The Goddess in Art TV Series includes deep and thoughtful conversations with a number of influential artists and scholars. These valuable and historic interviews are now available at youtube.com. (Thank you, Starr!)
We are happy to offer you this alphabetical list of links to make them easy to find. (Or, you may enter in the You Tube search box: Starr Goode The Goddess in Art TV Series.)
The Goddess In Art is a cable TV series that began in 1986 and ran until 1991. Dedicated to the Return of the Goddess, the series explored the legacy of this oldest tradition in art as well as feminist spirituality in contemporary art. The moderator, Starr Goode, interviewed scholars to uncover Her suppressed history and artists who were inspired by a radical re-imagining of the feminine.
Compassionate Goddess Tara, by Mayumi Oda
Each interview is approximately 30 minutes in length. See Starr’s description of the content of each interview (The Goddess in Art.desc) and enjoy them as supplements to research or to inspire your own artworks.
Bio: Starr Goode is a writer and teaches literature at Santa Monica College. Her book, Sheela na gig, The Dark Goddess of Sacred Power is being published by Inner Traditions in the fall of 2016. Contact: starrgoode @ mindspring. com
Donna Read and ASWM Vice President Dawn Work-Makinne
At our Boston conference, Donna Read, innovator, filmmaker, producer and activist, received ASWM’s2016 Saga Award for Special Contributions to Women’s History and Culture. The award honors Donna’s role in making feminist scholarship and the history of spirituality visible and accessible to a wide audience,
The ASWM Board of Directors recognizes Donna as “one of the premier visionary artists of our time” for films that include the Women’s Spirituality Series (Goddess Remembered, Burning Times, and Full Circle), Signs Out of Time, Permaculture: The Growing Edge, and (with producer/directorDonna Roberts) Yemanjá: Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazil.
In particular, Donna’s visual chronicles in both the “Women & Spirituality trilogy” and “Signs Out of Time” document the history of the sacred feminine and its re-emergence in the cultural mythology and activism of our time. Her films introduced scholars, feminists, artists and interested women to new interpretations of the myriad array of images of the female divine. As her award letter states, this work “has enlightened and continues to inspire viewers to re-examine their assumptions about women, about men, about spirituality and about culture.”
We were privileged to have Donna present Yemanjá: Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazil to our 2016 conference, and moderate an important discussion about the film and the remarkable women upon whose work it is based.
Hearing of her award, Donna’s good friend and collaborator Starhawk had this to say:
Donna Read Cooper has made great contributions to women’s culture and history. She created key resources through her work as a filmmaker, first with the National Film Board of Canada and later with her own independent company, Belili Productions. She began as an editor, worked for many years at Studio D, the Film Board’s special studio for women, and progressed on to direct and produce documentaries concerned with women and the earth, including the Women’s Spirituality Trilogy: Goddess Remembered, Burning Times and Full Circle. Together, we made Signs Out of Time, on the life of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, and Permaculture: The Growing Edge.
As her long-time friend, and sometime film making companion, I know some of the obstacles she faced. From the early days, when women in film faced prejudice and dismissal, to challenges persuading the more hard-nosed political feminists that women’s spirituality was a valid subject, to the difficulty raising funds for independent documentaries, to the health challenges that come with aging.
But she always persevered. Donna made films about key issues, but she also took action. We’ve marched together in the streets, stood together in front of tanks on the West Bank supporting the nonviolent resistance in Palestine, attended endless meetings, and most recently, Donna has opened her home to Syrian refugees. Through it all managed to raise five children, and remain a mentor, teacher, and a good friend to me and to many younger women.
I am thrilled that Donna is receiving this well-deserved award that honors a lifetime of devotion to women and social justice.
Congratulations to Donna, along with deep gratitude for her work which has both chronicled and transformed generations of scholarship.
You must be logged in to post a comment.