Recognising other subjects : feminist pastoral theology and the challenge of identity

How do we care justly when selves suffer because of the identities that they inhabit? Pastoral theologian Katharine Lassiter approaches this interdisciplinary question from a feminist perspective in order to understand how suffering, subject formation, and social injustice are interconnected. Reflecting on tensions in her own experiences of caring for selves, Lassiter identifies the challenges of identity in developing a pastoral theological anthropology. Drawing from theories of recognition, she argues that doing just care requires recognizing the need for recognition as well as understanding the impediments to receiving interpersonal, social, and theological recognition. Bringing together resources from pastoral theology and social theory, she develops a feminist pastoral theology and praxis of encounter in order to advance a care that does justice. Scholars, social justice practitioners, and pastoral caregivers will be able to use this resource to understand not only how and why recognition affects human development but also how we might implement a liberative theological praxis attentive to the role of recognition in subject formation. Katharine E. Lassiter is Assistant Professor of Religious and Pastoral Studies at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. How do we care justly when the self suffers because of the identity that they inhabit? Pastoral theologian Katharine E. Lassiter approaches this interdisciplinary question from a feminist perspective in order to understand how suffering, subject formation, and social injustice are connected. Lassiter identifies the challenges of identity in developing a pastoral theological anthropology, reflecting on tensions in her own experiences of caring for selves. Drawing from theories of recognition, she argues that doing just care requires recognizing the need for recognition as well as acknowledging the impediments to receiving interpersonal, social, and theological recognition. Bringing together resources from pastoral theology and social theory, she develops a feminist pastoral theology and praxis of encounter in order to advance a care that does justice. Scholars, social justice practitioners, and pastoral caregivers will be able to use this resource to discover not only how and why recognition affects human development but also how we might implement a liberative theological praxis that is attentive to the role of recognition in subject formation. Introduction 1. The Challenge of Identity 2. Feminist Pastoral Theological Anthropology 3. Intersubjective Recognition 4. Social Recognition 5. Theological Recognition 6. Recognizing Injustice 7. Encountering Other Subjects 8. Recognizing the Self-in-Relation Bibliography Index An interdisciplinary study that draws upon feminism and social theory to develop a theology of pastoral care that emphasises the importance of recognition for human well-being.