What is family? Perspectives from Christianity and Islam
This workshop took place at Saint Mary’s University in September 2025. Project leaders and workshop participants gained a more nuanced understanding of the legacies of the Bible and the Qur’an, and engaged in conversation around family matters in our diverse contemporary society.
Thank you to all those who attended! Your insights and vulnerability were deeply appreciated by our team and by your fellow participants, and will greatly inform and guide our further research.
Video: Guest lecture
“It’s complicated”: Concepts of Family in Sacred Texts and Contemporary Societies
In many communities, concepts of family are rooted in sacred text. It is necessary to understand the distance and difference between the times when these texts were produced and today, but also to be curious about continuities. “Family” was and has always been, a complex web of relationships, transactions, regulations, and emotions. In the ancient world, slavery was commonly accepted. Gender roles were based on power and hierarchy. How can Christian and Islamic texts be read and understood today? Should they be imitated, opposed, or negotiated?
With the help of intersectional theories and decolonizing perspectives, the picture becomes more nuanced: different models and ideals did not always work “on the ground,” where all kinds of people lived side-by-side in everyday struggles. These insights can be valuable in our contemporary world: Family is complicated, contested and everchanging, but still a place for belonging and growth.
Dr. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow
University of Oslo
Marianne Bjelland Kartzow is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her interests in teaching and research include gender and intersectional theory, early Christian history, social scientific criticism and biblical reception.
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Breakout groups
Prior to the workshop, registered participants were given a packet containing key readings from the Bible and Qur’an as well as a few articles to prompt reflection on how religious narratives have impacted their experiences and perspectives.
In breakout groups, participants will discussed what family means to them, with the intent to improve our collective understanding of family in various cultural contexts. Each group’s table was covered in a sheet of butcher paper, where they were encouraged to note key takeaways and topics of discussion.
After the breakout groups, participants walked around the room to read others’ papers, and then gathered together for a larger discussion. Participants noted that the experience was extremely rewarding and gave them a new insight into the diversity of experiences of family, as well as the diverse issues families face in various spheres.
Workshop facilitators
Dr. Margaret Y. MacDonald
Margaret Y. MacDonald conducts research on early Christian communities. She is a specialist in the interpretation of the letters of Paul, raising questions about power, families, and constructions of gender.
Dr. Syed Adnan Hussain
Dr. Syed Adnan Hussain (MTS, JD, PhD) is an Associate Professor and current Chair of the Department for the Study of Religion at Saint Mary’s University. His work focuses on the intersections of law and religion during the colonial and “postcolonial” periods.
Grant research project
This workshop is a component of a SSHRC ID Grant project being conducted by Dr. Margaret Y. MacDonald and Dr. Syed Adnan Hussain, with collaborator Dr. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow.
This project is grounded in the significance of the family for interactions and dialogue between Christianity and Islam, and aims to set the groundwork for a comparative study of notions of family expansion in Christianity and Islam from the 19th to 21st century.
Dr. Margaret Y. MacDonald 