In October of 2018, Seminary of the Southwest presented Theologizing latinamente: A conference on Latino Cultures, Liturgies, and Ethics. Established and emerging scholars convened on campus to present scholarship on Latino cultures, liturgies, and ethics in an Episcopal/Anglican context.
The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Hughes, then Southwest’s Consulting Director of Latinx Studies, and the Rev. Dr. Altagracia Perez-Bullard collaborated to organize the conference, with plans for select papers from the conference to be published in a special issue of the Anglican Theological Review, which was released earlier this month. Hughes and Perez-Bullard served as guest editors.
“The purpose of the conference was to bring together scholars and theologians to launch a conversation about the relationship between Latino religious cultures and spiritualities and the Episcopal and Anglican tradition,” Hughes said. “Where are there points of connection and resonance? Where has the road been difficult? It was very exciting to see how many people turned up for this conversation, how many people had been longing for it. There were many challenging papers.”
This specialized edition is described in the editors’ notes as, “dedicated to launching scholarly discussion of Latinx studies within and with reference to the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.” The editors also note that, “the academic study of Latinx religion in the Episcopal context is still a nascent field.”
Southwest’s influence on the edition is prominent. In addition to hosting the conference where many of the published papers were presented, Southwest’s current Assistant Professor of Latinx Theology and Cultures and Director of the Latinx Studies Program, Dr. Jennifer Owens-Jofré, submitted a paper separate from the conference titled, “The Underground Feminism of Dolores Mission Parish in East Los Angeles.”
Dr. Owens-Jofré noted the importance of this edition: “The significance of this issue of the ATR cannot be overstated. Each contribution in its own way points to the centrality of context in theological construction. Critical engagement with the wide diversity of Latinx contexts in which the Episcopal Church is inculturated is a vital part of our growth as a community committed to following the Way of Love.”
Copies of The Anglican Theological Review are available here.
