Gender, Violence, and Justice

Gender, Violence, and Justice is a volume of collected essays by an expert in the field of violence against women and pastoral theology. It represents over three decades of research, advocacy, and pastoral theological reflection on the subject of sexual and domestic violence. Topics include intimate partner violence, sexual abuse and trauma, and clergy sexual misconduct; controversial theological issues such as forgiveness; and, as well, positive frameworks for fostering well-being in families, church, and society.

Framed by a foreword and an introduction that place this work in the context of new and contemporary challenges in theory and practice, these essays show an evolution of issues and frameworks for theology, care, and activism arising over time from the movement to end violence against women (both within and beyond religious communities)--while at the same time demonstrating an unchanging core commitment to gender justice.

""It is a sad reality that Pamela Cooper-White's Gender, Violence, and Justice volume, is so timely in 2019. This collection of essays, covering over three decades of dedicated attention to the brutal fact of violence directed against women--women of color, LBTQ and cis women--is enough to make most of us cry and, some of us, commit to the hard work of changing societal attitudes about violence and women. . . . The abuse of power and the use of violence are theo-ethical concerns and Cooper-White is ever the pastoral theologian.""
--Phillis Isabella Sheppard, Vanderbilt Divinity School

""This collection of essays is a welcomed gift for religious leaders and seminary classrooms. Across three decades, Pamela Cooper-White has led the way in articulating issues and strategies for resisting sexual violence and promoting healing for survivors. The importance and challenge of resisting and ending sexual violence in faith communities and culture have evolved with her leadership, but the need for guidance is as critical as ever. This collection is an invaluable resource.""
--Nancy J. Ramsay, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX

""In this indispensable volume, Pamela Cooper-White shares her wisdom from forty years of work in gender and violence. With seamless elegance, she weaves together psychology, pastoral theology, spiritual care, gender analysis, trauma, and post-modern theory with an unflinching commitment to justice. Both pastoral and prophetic, theoretical and practical, this collection exemplifies rich theological inquiry grounded in human experience.""
--Su Yon Pak, Union Theological Seminary, New York City

""For anyone seeking to better understand the intersection of gender, violence, and justice, there is no better guide than Dr. Pamela Cooper-White. Her deep understanding of psychoanalytic theory and pastoral theology, coupled with an unwavering commitment to feminism, results in an approach that seeks to 'do justice to memory and enlists memory to do justice.' This volume represents almost thirty years of Cooper-White's research and writing on the subject. Unfortunately, it's as urgently needed now as ever.""
--Mary Ragan, Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute, New York City


Pamela Cooper-White is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychology and Religion at Union Theological Seminary, New York, and an ordained Episcopal priest, certified pastoral counselor, and licensed psychotherapist. She is the author of nine books, including The Cry of Tamar: Violence against Women and the Church's Response (1995/2012), Shared Wisdom (2004), Many Voices (2007), Braided Selves (Cascade, 2011), and Exploring Practices of Ministry (with Michael Cooper-White, 2014).