Grace Marion Jantzen (24 May 1948 – 2 May 2006) was a Canadian

feminist philosopher Feminist philosophy is an approach to philosophy from a feminist perspective and also the employment of philosophical methods to feminist topics and questions. Feminist philosophy involves both reinterpreting philosophical texts and methods in ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

. She was professor of

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

from 1996 until her death from cancer at the age of 57. In ''Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion'', Jantzen proposed a new

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

from a feminist perspective. She also authored works on Christian mysticism and the foundations of modernity. Her approach was influenced by Continental scholarship, particularly that of

Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French historian of ideas and philosopher who was also an author, literary critic, political activist, and teacher. Foucault's theories primarily addressed the relationships be ...

. In her final publication, ''Foundations of Violence,'' Jantzen, sketches the fascination with death and violence—what she calls a 'necrophilia' -- that she believes has characterized much of Western culture from classical antiquity through Christianity to present paradigms. In Jantzen's view, this emphasis on violence and death comes at the expense of the physical body in the present (a denigration of the senses, sexuality and sensuality), and thus, establishes a yearning for mystical worlds beyond the here and now.Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity, "Death, Feminist Views of" by Kathleen O'Grady. Daniel Patte (ed.), 2010.

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* ''God's World, God's Body'' (1984) * ''Julian of Norwich: Mystic and Theologian'' (1987) * ''Power, Gender and Christian Mysticism'' (1995) * ''Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion'' (1998) * ''Foundations of Violence'' (2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jantzen, Grace 1948 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Canadian philosophers 21st-century Canadian philosophers Canadian women philosophers Gender studies academics Scholars of feminist theology Feminist studies scholars Canadian feminists Scholars of feminist philosophy Academics of King's College London Academics of the University of Manchester Mysticism scholars Place of death missing

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References