Alice Walker's ethics: An analysis of Alice Walker's non-fiction work as a resource for womanist ethics

As womanist theology and ethics celebrates twenty years in the academy it is addressing questions and critiques concerning methodology, religious identity and roots of womanism. One such critique posed to womanist religious scholarship concerns the absence of engagement with Alice Walker's non-fiction essays, which reveal her ethical thought. Whereas womanist scholars including Katie G. Cannon have investigated the lives of black women such as Zora Neale Hurston in an effort to mine certain values from their stories that are reflective and affirming of black women's ethical systems, a study of Alice Walker's ethical thought has yet to be conducted. While, Walker's fiction work (especially The Color Purple) and her womanist definition are repeatedly cited by womanist scholars, Walker's own values, and method of making ethical decisions are not formally discussed in published womanist scholarship. This dissertation examines Walker's non-fiction essays for values and ethical imperatives that contribute to the doing and study of womanist ethics. Like some womanist scholars, Walker uses race, class, gender and heterosexist womanist analysis which approaching ethical issues. In addition, however Walker's religious orientation as a pagan supports an argument that a fifth ethical category be established for the practice and theory of womanist ethics---earth justice. By uncovering the values and foundation of Walker's ethical thought this dissertation helps broaden womanist ethics by presenting Walker's non-fiction as a resource. It also explains how Walker's religious orientation widens the womanist religious lens to investigate non-Christian religious traditions that are life affirming and liberating for black women.