Women and Religious Diversity

Abstract

In Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as in the rest of the world, it is undeniable that women form the major part of members of faith communities, yet invariably the formal organizations of these communities are predominantly run by men. How does the differing experience of men and of women in communities of faith in the region influence the growth of civil society in Asia and the Pacific? This chapter will highlight a few examples of women from a number of differing faith traditions in the region, who have made a very particular contribution to social movements through their faith. Women in Southeast Asia and the Pacific have played leading roles in building community, opposing violence, mediating in conflicts and preparing the way for improved human rights.

Asia is home to most of the world’s major faith traditions, from the Indian sub-continent with its pantheon of Hindu Gods, to East Asia with strong traditions of Buddhism to the early introduction of Islam from Arab traders and the later introduction of Christianity with European colonialism. The continent has been a meeting place of the major faith traditions. The Pacific Islands region, colonized for the most part by the Europeans, remains one of the most strongly Christian areas, yet exhibits a diversity in the extent to which Christianity both manifests internal varieties of expression on the one hand, and co-habits with indigenous beliefs on the other.

Note: This chapter is written by: Helen Hill, University of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia