Talking back to power' : deviance in Luke 18:1-8 and women in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study is a contextual reading of the parable of the persistent widow found in Luke 18:1-8 from the perspective of the concerns of widows in Zimbabwe. Given the everyday usage and mirror reading of the Bible in Zimbabwe, the study assumes that the parable of the persistent widow can be read as realistic narratives regarding concerns of widows in Antioch (where I shall argue for the location of Luke) but also as a parable that provides discursive material to address contextual concerns of widows in Zimbabwe. Every day, court cases, electronic, print media and social media are full of stories concerning widows whose lives drastically change due to property being taken away after the death of their spouses. Several such stories exist but some are not publicized. The succession and inheritance laws in Zimbabwe meant to address such challenges have failed the widows because of the mutilation of culture by greedy people. Related to this is the challenge that culture does not give priority to writing of ‘Will’ and talking about death. Consequently, Culture has become the default source of authority used by relatives to dispossess widows of their properties (Odoyoye 2001:85). This study contextualizes the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 and read it from the perspective and as analogue to think-about issues facing widows after the death of their partners and using the findings from the discussions about the parable to fight for the concerns of widows in Zimbabwe. Located within the broader framework of honor and shame, the parable of the persistent widow provides comparative experiences regarding gender, class and place of widows within the domestic space. As theoretical perspective, deviance theory understood within the ambit of honour and shame cultural context is used to explain the widow’s behavior of travelling alone and then talking to a male judge during queer times of the day. From the surface, the actions of the widow which looks shameful within culture of honour and shame is used to think-with issues facing widows in Zimbabwe.