EPISODE · Dec 10, 2025 · 36 MIN
Gender and Religion Studies in Europe and the U.S.
from Kwok ’n’ Roll · host Kwok Pui Lan
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ernst-Auga is a German Protestant theologian and a scholar of cultural and religious studies. She is also the President of the International Association for the Study of Religion and Gender. In this episode, she discusses how she uses postcolonial, postsecular, and queer perspectives to study religion and gender across different contexts. As Christian nationalism has grown, she explains how nationalist ideology constructs a “proper family,” based on heteronormality and patriarchal authority as the foundation of a nation. Women’s bodies become the symbol of purity and reproductive obligation. Neo-nationalism promises a return to a mythic past of moral clarity and racial homogeneity. Christian nationalism is tied to whiteness, patriarchy, and state power. But religious performances can also subvert this formation, such as Black liberation theology and queer activism. In the U.S., scholars of gender and religion respond to religious fundamentalisms and postcolonial and postsecular debates. In Europe, scholars work in a more secular, anti-clerical context and are influenced by poststructuralism, Marxism, and existentialism. Religion is generally ignored, and scholars have only recently engaged postcolonial approaches. As 2025 comes to an end, she shares her reflections on changes in world politics over the last year and highlights what religion scholars must pay attention to. Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ernst-Auga’s book is An Epistemology of Religion and Gender Listen wherever you get your podcasts Watch full episodes on YouTube Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X Website www.kwokpuilan.com
What this episode covers
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ernst-Auga is a German Protestant theologian and a scholar of cultural and religious studies. She is also the President of the International Association for the Study of Religion and Gender. In this episode, she discusses how she uses postcolonial, postsecular, and queer perspectives to study religion and gender across different contexts. As Christian nationalism has grown, she explains how nationalist ideology constructs a “proper family,” based on heteronormality and patriarchal authority as the foundation of a nation. Women’s bodies become the symbol of purity and reproductive obligation. Neo-nationalism promises a return to a mythic past of moral clarity and racial homogeneity. Christian nationalism is tied to whiteness, patriarchy, and state power. But religious performances can also subvert this formation, such as Black liberation theology and queer activism. In the U.S., scholars of gender and religion respond to religious fundamentalisms and postcolonial and postsecular debates. In Europe, scholars work in a more secular, anti-clerical context and are influenced by poststructuralism, Marxism, and existentialism. Religion is generally ignored, and scholars have only recently engaged postcolonial approaches. As 2025 comes to an end, she shares her reflections on changes in world politics over the last year and highlights what religion scholars must pay attention to. Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ernst-Auga’s book is An Epistemology of Religion and Gender Listen wherever you get your podcasts Watch full episodes on YouTube Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X Website www.kwokpuilan.com
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Gender and Religion Studies in Europe and the U.S.
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