Page 26 - University of Pretoria RESEARCH REVIEW 2018

An unfinished reformation Tanya van Wyk, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology
One of the world’s greatest moral struggles relates to the ways in which the relationship between identity and diversity are understood and practised, which invariably lead either to further polarisation or to transformation.
Dr Tanya van Wyk in the Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, has focused her research on political theology; in particular, the relationship between
the State and religious citizens, and between the church and society. Her research aims to develop a political theology for the South African context, with special emphasis on the democratic ideal.
Van Wyk has studied the relationship between identity and diversity – or sameness and difference – and the way in which this relationship has an impact on socio-political contexts. In her earlier research, she examined the socio-political space of the church in South Africa through the lens of reconciling diversity as represented in the Christian confession of God
as a Trinity. She is one of a handful
of theologians in the country to have specialised in Trinitarian theology. Her current research is undertaken from a feminist theological perspective with a strong focus on gender justice.
In an article published in 2018 in
the journal Verbum et Ecclesia, she presents an analysis of the ways in which linguistic invisibility and non- recognition play a role in perpetuating unjust social arrangements and, indeed, institutional practices. She examines in detail the harmful
effects of gender-exclusive language, specifically on the institutional practices of the church. Gender injustice is the oldest and most entrenched injustice in the world. The
persistent use of gender-exclusive language normalises and further entrenches patriarchy, with disastrous effects on the lives of millions of women. This ‘reformation’ in the church needs to be completed.
Van Wyk maintains that sustainable methods to approach and reconcile diversity need to be developed
and strengthened on a continuous basis. Because of the religiosity
of the African continent, religious communities like the church can play a major role in developing methods for reconciling diversity. Over the
past decades, feminist and womanist theologians from across the globe have made significant contributions
to this project, specifically in relation to the theory of intersectionality.
This has become an important tool
in approaching transformation, because it offers a way to analyse and understand the complexity of social inequality, which is shaped by many intersecting axes of people’s identities, and social and political lives.
In her current research, Van Wyk uses this theory to focus on the complexity of women’s experiences at the intersection of the UN’s sustainable development goals of gender equality and climate action, and the role of religion.
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