Dr. Deanna Ferree Womack is Associate Professor of history of religions and interfaith studies at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In this episode, she discusses how missionary discourses and stereotypes about Islam and Muslims contributed to the rise of American Islamophobia in the late twentieth century. In addition to texts, she examines the portrayals of Muslims in postcards, photos, and material culture in Protestant missionary archives. She points out why previous studies have often neglected the gender dimension, focusing on texts written by men and theological arguments. She shows that the missionary women have participated in discourse about Islam through children’s books and material culture. As a scholar of Middle Eastern Christianity, she sheds light on Muslim-Christian relations and helps us understand tensions and conflicts in the Middle East. She points out how Christians can reach out to their Muslim neighbors and build strong communities.
Dr. Deanna Ferree Womack's book is Re-Inventing Islam: Gender and Protestant Roots in American Islamophobia
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