Intersectionality and the Oppressive Incidents of Women in the Old Testament and the South African Context

Abstract

The oppression of women and young girls in the biblical texts, with special reference to the Old Testament, mirrors the oppression of women and young girls in the South African context. Such oppression of women and young girls continues to engulf everyone, directly or indirectly in the South African context. Thus, this article aims to examine certain incidents in the Old Testament in which the subjugation of women is a pertinent subject. This shows that the oppression of women in the Old Testament is not so different from the oppressive incidents that continue to sabotage the social lives of many women in South Africa. Intersectionality is utilised herein as a qualitative research technique to appreciate these oppressive incidents as a source of data, while African feminism is employed as a theoretical framework to examine these incidents. Among other issues, it becomes clear that male-orientated structures are the driving force behind women’s oppression and require reasonable solutions to the conundrum.