oa [In Laureline's Footsteps. The Indispensability of Historical Genderstudies for Theology, In het voetspoor van Laureline. Waarom genderhistorisch besef bij theologisch onderzoek onmisbaar is]

This article argues that gender and historical research are indispensable in theological research. The author concentrates on a major subject in feminist theology: the construction of the female subject. Traditionally, feminists regarded medieval holy women and mysticae as models for female subjectivity. Often, this led to superficial assessments, caused by a lack of genuine interest in the past. The author argues for meticulous research that takes gender into account, in order to explore history’s full possibilities as a source of inspiration for contemporary theology. Such research challenges current views of God and of fixed categories like ‘male’ and ‘female’.