Patriarchy as empire: a theological reflection

Abstract

"Empire" manifests itself both as an empirical reality and in its ideological claims. The paper argues that sexism, patriarchy and hierarchical societal structures still prevail in postapartheid South Africa. The shift from the view that gendered objects were regarded as racial objects in apartheid South Africa to the view of gendered objects as equity objects in post-apartheid South Africa goes hand in hand with meaningful shifts in power. The paper further argues that the problem of the lack of engendering is inextricably linked to the intrinsically patriarchal character of South Africa. The presence of women in the ecclesial and societal structures is not an indicator of the transformation of the patriarchal anthropology in South Africa. The paper discusses the challenges with regard to gender mainstreaming in post-apartheid South Africa within the framework of post-structuralism.