SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Overview

Name:

Ms Eleanor Tiplady Higgs

Thesis title:

Women-centred theology in practice? A study of the theology and ethics of the Young Women's Christian Association in Kenya. (WORKING TITLE)

Internal Supervisors

• Sian Hawthorne

PhD Research

Based on fieldwork in Nairobi, my research concerns the Kenyan Young Women's Christian Association (henceforth, YWCA) and the tensions between its Christian identity and its work on women's rights and gender equality. I am interested in the YWCA's ethical and theological commitments, especially in relation to the ways in which the organisation's values inform its interventions to improve young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights. I make use of the work of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians to illuminate and explore the significance of Kenya YWCA's choices in this area.