Re-Imagining the Woman’s “Curse”: Redemptive Readings of Genesis 3:16

Dear Colleagues,

In light of the recent developments featuring women around the world reclaiming their autonomy and self-respect in the face of male domination, it is becoming increasingly urgent to rethink the ancient “curse” on woman and the way that it has not only allowed but condoned male oppression and domination over women throughout the centuries. Rather than read the text through the traditional Aristotelian lens used by Church fathers and ancient rabbis to describe woman as the seductress and man as the legitimate authority over woman’s corrupt nature, this Special Issue proposes a radical re-imagining of the “curse” of Genesis 3:16 as a redemptive rather than a punitive moment. This will entail that the two key concepts mashal and teshuqa be profoundly re-interpreted from a Hebrew inter-textual perspective rather than through a Greek philosophical lens, as well as read in light of the immediate context of God’s words to the serpent and to man (Genesis 3:14-19) which frame the woman’s “curse”. This Special Issue welcomes audacious, imaginative and courageous readings of this text in the hope of breaking new ground in the understanding of woman, of man, and of gender relations.

Please submit a 300–500 word abstract to the Guest Editor, Dr. Abi Doukhan ([email protected]) by 1 April 2024 for our consideration. If accepted, we will ask that you submit the full manuscript by 1 September 2024. Manuscripts are to be 5000+ words and will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Abi Doukhan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• curse
• woman
• messianic
• redemptive
• genesis 3:16
• desire
• rule
• punitive