Insurrectionist Wisdoms: Toward a North American Indigenized Pastoral Theology

by Marlene Mayra Ferreras

Publisher:

Lexington Books

, 2022

Overview

Through practical theological and anthro/gynopological methods, Insurrectionist Wisdoms: Toward a North American Indigenized Pastoral Theology offers an analysis of the situation of working-class Maya mexicanas living in Yucatán, México, working on the assembly line of a multinational corporation. Relying on in-depth, firsthand interviews, Marlene M. Ferreras brings to light the exploitation of women of color by large, multimillion-dollar corporations and delves into the ways these women can, and do, fight back. Drawing on a decolonial approach to pastoral theology and feminism, Ferreras proposes Lxs Hijxs de Maíz as an image for pastoral care and counseling.

Contents

Contents

Chapter 1: ¿Y qué crece en tu pueblo? / What Grows in Your Town?
Chapter 2: From Milpa to Maquila, Mamá to Machine
Chapter 3: Primeramente Madre: The Life-Bearing Gospel
Chapter 4: La Ciencia de la Lucha: ¡Sí se puede! / The Science of the Struggle: Yes, We Can!
Chapter 5: Ma’alob / Goodbye and Hello

Praise for Insurrectionist Wisdoms

Ensconced in our Western traditions, many of us, Ferreras contends, have much to learn about the resiliency, courage, vulnerability, and practical wisdom of Indigenous women living under the hegemony of neoliberal capitalism. In this important book, Ferrerasrsquo;s empathic sensitivity and wide scholarship brings to life the lives of Indigenous women, as well as fresh insights for pastoral, practical, and political theologians.

ldquo;In this timely book, Marlene M. Ferreras explores how the lives and struggles of working-class Maya Mexicanas challenge contemporary arrangements of neocolonial capitalism and related forms of Christianity. This transnational approach to feminism and gendered labor not only broadens current horizons of the study of theology and religion but also provides fresh practical approaches to pastoral care that are truly transformational.rdquo;

A childrsquo;s prophetic cry for leche redirects moral conscience in this tender and convicting indigenous pastoral theology. The book proclaims the gospel of working-class Maya mexicanas who resist corporate greed through a vocation of subversive motherhood. Centering the land and relationships,Lxs Hijxs de Maiacute;zreject a disengaged church to teach Ferreras a spirituality of presence that undermines neoliberal power. Setting a new standard for critical, theological ethnography, the book positions the researcher as a vulnerable learner and sends readers on a quest to learn: What grows in your pueblo, at what cost? I canrsquo;t wait to teach this book!

ldquo;Ferreras entwines herself with the lives of the women from the small Mayan town she conducted her research in, as she keeps a great awareness that she can never be one of them, her humility and consciousness of her privilege always present. This book leads to a deep reflection on the meaning of working with those marginalized by our society.rdquo;

Product Details

• Title: Insurrectionist Wisdoms: Toward a North American Indigenized Pastoral Theology
• Author: Marlene Mayra Ferreras
• Series: Environment and Religion in Feminist-Womanist, Queer, and Indigenous Perspectives
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Print Publication Date: 2022
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 188
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781793645470, 9781793645463, 1793645469, 1793645477
• Resource ID: LLS:9781793645470
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-29T13:50:57Z

About the Author

Marlene M. Ferreras is assistant professor of practical theology at the HMS Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University.