Minoritized Criticism and Biblical Interpretation

Call For Papers: (1) Along with the MCBI section’s continued focus on a collective movement of minoritized biblical critics, our first session explores the use of critical race theory in biblical criticism. While some biblical scholars employ race as a critical category of analysis in investigating the biblical text and its ancient context, this session invites papers that utilize critical race theory to examine the issues of racialization in disciplinary discourses of biblical studies and the professionalization of biblical scholars. The scope of discussion is broad, but the section welcomes proposals engaging issues of critical white studies, anti-black racism, the black/white paradigm, and intersectional/assemblage identities. (2) In celebration of the 40th anniversary of its publication of Edward Said's Orientalism, our second session, as an invited panel, reflects on its reception and use within biblical scholarship. This session has in view the ways in which Said’s critique of orientalism’s racial/imperialist logic have challenged the study of the Bible, particularly in Western contexts, as well as fostered new interpretive approaches within biblical studies, such as postcolonial criticism and poststructuralist biblical criticism. In the end this session seeks to renew ethical commitments to Said’s provocative claim that the initial study of the Orient began with Western scientific-based biblical criticism. There will be joint sessions: (a) a panel interrogating Brian Blount's 2018 SBL presidential address with the Islands, Islanders, and Scripture and other groups; (b) a session in honor of Gale Yee’s 2019 presidential address with Asian and Asian-American Hermeneutics and Feminist Hermeneutics of the Bible; and (c) a session titled "Introductory Bible courses as entry to interrogate/address disciplinary and pedagogical whiteness" with the Racism, Pedagogy and Biblical Studies unit. These joint sessions will be invited panels.

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