M. Shawn Copeland

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M. Shawn Copeland
M. Shawn Copeland.jpg
Born (1947-08-24) August 24, 1947 (age 74)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTheologian
TitleProfessor Emerita
Academic background
Alma mater
Influences
Academic work
DisciplineSystematic theology
Sub-discipline
School or traditionCatholic theology
Institutions
InfluencedAndrew L. Prevot

Mary Shawn Copeland (born August 24, 1947) is a retired American womanist, former religious sister, and Black Catholic theologian. She is professor emerita of systematic theology at Boston College and is known for her work in theological anthropology as well as political theology.[1]

Biography[]

An only child, Copeland grew up in Detroit, Michigan.[2] She received her B.A. in English in 1969 from Madonna College, in Michigan, before becoming a Felician sister. After she became involved in protests against the Archdiocese of Detroit’s attempts to close Black Catholic schools, she felt pressure from within her order and transferred to the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1971.[3]

She completed her PhD in systematic theology in 1991 from Boston College, and left the sisterhood in 1994.[3]

Copeland has held posts at Xavier University of Louisiana, Yale Divinity School, and Marquette University. She worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Theology at Boston College for a number of years, and joined in 2003 as Associate Professor of Systematic Theology.

In 2003-2004, Copeland was the first African American and first African American woman to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA). From 2001- 2005, Copeland was also the convenor of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium.[1]

She became a full professor at BC in 2013,[4] retiring and becoming Professor Emerita in 2019.[5] In October of that same year, she delivered the Cunningham Lectures in New College, University of Edinburgh, on the topic "Theology as Political: The Weight, the Yearning, the Urgency of Life."[6]

In 2020, she began a one-year term as the Alonzo L. McDonald Family Chair on the Life and Teachings of Jesus and Their Impact on Culture at Emory University. As part of her term, she delivered public lectures in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.[7]

She gave the keynote at the CTSA gathering in June that year.

Honors[]

In 2018, Copeland became the first African American theologian honored with the prestigious John Courtney Murray Award, the Catholic Theological Society of America's highest honor.[8] A festschrift was also produced that year in honor of Copeland, entitled Enfleshing Theology.[9]

Controversy[]

In 2017, a lecture of Copeland's at Madonna University was canceled after conservative Catholic media outlets (namely Church Militant) published articles critiquing Copeland's stance on LGBT issues, which has at times been in conflict with official Church teachings.[10]

Works[]

  • M. Shawn Copeland (2009). The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-4489-1.
  • M. Shawn Copeland (2010). Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-6274-5.
  • M. Shawn Copeland (2018). Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. ISBN 978-1-62698-298-7.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "M. Shawn Copeland". Catholic Women Preach. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  2. ^ Patterson, Margot (July 16, 2003). "Complete interview with M. Shawn Copeland". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Miller, Jack (2019-06-05). "Not a Job But a Vocation: M. Shawn Copeland After 29 Years With BC". The Heights. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  4. ^ Copeland, M. Shawn (April 2018). "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). www.bc.edu. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  5. ^ Horan, Daniel P. (1 May 2019). "M. Shawn Copeland's retirement is a time to celebrate this friend of God". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Cunningham Lectures: 'Theology as Political: The Weight, the Yearning, the Urgency of Life'". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Catholic theologian Shawn Copeland to give Candler's McDonald Lectures". news.emory.edu. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  8. ^ Schlumpf, Heidi (14 June 2018). "First African American theologian honored with CTSA's John Courtney Murray Award". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. ^ Saracino, Michele; Rivera, Robert J. (2018). Enfleshing Theology: Embodiment, Discipleship, and Politics in the Work of M. Shawn Copeland. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-978704-05-3. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  10. ^ Dady, Cole (2017-09-26). "BC Theology Prof. Did Not Speak at Madonna University After Conservative Criticism". The Heights. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
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