Gina Messina (born 1975), previously known as Gina Messina-Dysert, is an American religious studies and women's studies scholar and activist. She gives particular attention to gender issues in religion.[1][2]

Gina Messina
Born (1975-09-06) September 6, 1975 (age 49)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesGina Messina-Dysert
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisorRosemary Radford Ruether
Academic work
Discipline
School or traditionChristian feminism
Institutions
Websiteginamessina.com Edit this at Wikidata

Messina is co-founder of Feminism and Religion,[1] which she founded in 2011 with Caroline Kline, Xochitl Alvizo, and Cynthia Garrity Bond. Feminism and Religion is a project that explores the intersection between scholarship and the feminism (the "F-word") in religion, community, and activism.[3][4]

Messina is also founder and Editor in Chief of The Far Press, an independent feminist publisher which publishes books that explore feminism and gender, religion and spirituality, politics, and social change.

She is the assistant professor of religious studies at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where she formerly served as dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.[5] Prior to her time at Ursuline College, Messina served as the Director of the Center for Women's Interdisciplinary Research and Education (WIRE) at Claremont Graduate University and as a visiting professor of Theological Ethics at Loyola Marymount University.[6][7]

Biography

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Born September 6, 1975,[citation needed] Messina grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where she moved after her parents' divorce when she was 12.[8] She earned her GED "while working double shifts at the local Dairy Queen".[8]

Messina earned her doctorate at Claremont Graduate University, focussing on women studies in religion, theology, ethics, and culture. Her advisor was Rosemary Radford Ruether. She completed a Master of Arts degree in religious studies at John Carroll University. She also earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a dual focus in organizational leadership and marketing at the University of Findlay and completed her undergraduate degree at Cleveland State University.

Publications

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Messina has authored articles in a variety of publications and regularly writes for The Huffington Post. She is the author of Rape Culture and Spiritual Violence (Routledge, 2014), and If Jesus Ran for President (The Far Press, 2016). She is also co-editor of Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay (with Jennifer Zobair and Amy Levin, White Cloud Press, 2015) and Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century (with Rosemary Radford Ruether, Routledge, 2014).[9][10][11][12]

Messina is a regular speaker around the US at universities, organizations, conferences, and in the national news circuit. She has appeared on Tavis Smiley, MSNBC, and NPR and gave the TEDx Talk "The New Feminist Revolution in Religion".[13][14][15] She has also spoken at the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Williams, Mariam (8 September 2014). "Being black, feminist and Christian: an ongoing struggle". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  2. ^ "On being 'doubly othered'". Crux. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. ^ "WGBH News". News.
  4. ^ "Dismantling the Patriarchy is an Ecumenical Task | Jewish Exponent". Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Going Places". Crain's Cleveland Business. Vol. 34, no. 18. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2016 – via EBSCOhost.
  6. ^ Suttell, Scott (20 June 2015). "Ursuline preps MBA students for 'triple bottom line' world". Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  7. ^ Farkas, Karen (5 July 2016). "Ursuline College launches "socially-conscious" MBA program". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  8. ^ a b Bourbon, Julie (15 October 2016). "Feminist theologian seeks revolutions within religious traditions". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  9. ^ Markoe, Lauren (31 July 2015). "Women write about conflicts between their feminism and religious beliefs". Times Union. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  10. ^ Markoe, Lauren (30 July 2015). "Why stay? A new book looks at feminists who refuse to give up on faith". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  11. ^ Rape Culture and Spiritual Violence: Religion, Testimony, and Visions of Healing (1 ed.). Routledge. 5 December 2014. ISBN 9781844657889.
  12. ^ Messina-Dysert, Gina; Ruether, Rosemary Radford, eds. (1 January 2015). Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century: Technology, Dialogue, and Expanding Borders. Routledge. ISBN 9780415831949.
  13. ^ "The new feminist revolution in religion | Gina Messina-Dysert | TEDxUrsulineCollege". 18 November 2014 – via www.youtube.com.
  14. ^ Farkas, Karen (3 September 2014). "Parker Hannifin Foundation commits $2 million for endowed chair at Case Western Reserve University: Higher Education Roundup". cleveland.com.
  15. ^ "Theologian Gina Messina-Dysert | Interviews | Tavis Smiley | PBS". Tavis Smiley | PBS. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Gina Messina-Dysert |". Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
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