Intersecting economics and sexual identity in the book of Ruth and contemporary Mozambique: constructing biblical resources for change.

Abstract

This research is an attempt at African biblical scholarship and engagement with critical social issues impacting on society, including non-conforming aspects of sexuality in the continent. Non-conforming sexualities in Mozambique (and other similar contexts in the region) are excluded and/or silenced by the Church and the society in general in terms of economic and religious transactions. This study uses the tri-polar approach to discern an economic, sexual, and religious ethic from the biblical book of Ruth to be applied in Mozambique within the context of economic and religious exclusion of non-conforming people. The tripolar approach begins with an analysis of the Mozambican context to explore the interconnectedness between sexual struggles and economic struggles, which is a reality characterized by economic privilege of heterosexual men, economic dependence of (heterosexual) women, and economic silence and/or exclusion of non-conforming sexualities or different gender identities. Then the tri-polar approach moves to the biblical book of Ruth and explores the intersections between economic struggles and sexual struggles, which are evidenced by economic privilege of heterosexual men, economic dependence of (heterosexual) women, and economic exclusion and/or silence of ambiguous characters. Then the study returns to both contextual pole and textual pole to analyze the religious contexts that shape the intersections between economics and sexuality in Mozambique and in the book of Ruth. The result is that in both Mozambique and the context of Ruth, religion is used to legitimize heteropatriarchal ideologies and practice that generate economic privilege of heterosexual men,economic dependence of (heterosexual) women, and economic exclusion or silence of indecent people (non-conforming sexualities or ambiguous gender identities). Then, the tripolar approach ends with the discernment of an infrapolitical ethic of the powerless from the biblical book of Ruth which is applied within Contextual Bible Study resources for change in the context of economic and religious exclusion of different sexualities or gender identities in Mozambique (and elsewhere on the African continent). The book of Ruth is a form of resistance in disguise against the exclusivity ideology of post- exilic context in Judah. This resistance can be captured within the praxis of the Ujamaa Centre CBS, as part of the infrapolitical ethic of the powerless, which suggests a resistance in disguise against the interlocking systems that oppress and marginalize people, including non-conforming issues of sexuality. Resistance in disguise avoids that harm is done to indecent people (including queer or ambiguous sexualities, women, strangers, and widows).