The Question of Power

In reading Isasi-Diaz’s chapters on solidarity and justice, I was immediately struck by the similarity between Isasi-Diaz and Wendy Farley’s views on power; both authors advocate for the promotion and cultivation of a less oppressive type of power in their theologies. They each take Jesus as their model and look at how he uses love as a source of strength. Although there is this similar type of focus on mutuality and understanding in both Isasi-Diaz and Farley’s works, Isasi-Diaz goes one step further. She talks about the ways in which one should employ these concepts and theological ideas in the real world. While I definitely agree with Isasi-Diaz and Farley that the definition of power needs to be changed, I do not agree with Isasi Diaz’s plan for the reordering of society; I think her views at radically changing “the world” somewhat contradict her expressed opinions on power.


Isasi Diaz, in these two chapters, definitely takes the approach of looking at Jesus as the modal exemplar; people should imitate his benevolent actions towards the oppressed and the poor in society. He is in solidarity with them, in the sense that he advocates for the upper class’ love and notice of this group of people. Jesus as well as Isasi-Diaz does not want compassion to be a fleeting feeling. Although Isasi Diaz makes this point that oppression is the central problem in today’s society, she also at times seems to express this idea that poverty and the lack of authority that comes with this state are the actual evils. This idea is expressed in her desire for the redistribution of wealth and restitution. “Our mujerista account of justice ‘requires redistribution from those who are better off to those who are worse off until that point after which further redistribution no longer increases the long-term absolute size of the shares of those who are worse off’” (121). While I definitely believe that all people should have enough to eat and to live upon, I think this idea of redistributing wealth goes against what she was saying previously about Jesus and power. One of the reasons why Jesus is the modal for solidarity with the poor is that he believes everyone should be so since it is easier to express love when there are no other material distractions. This idea is exemplified in Jesus parable about the rich man found in the gospel of Matthew “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (19:24). Isasi-Diaz’s plan for the redistribution of wealth and the demand for more access to material goods seem to go against Jesus’ position and her own previously described beliefs about power. Instead of getting rid of oppression altogether by demanding that the rich toss their money to the wind and having everyone live a frugal life, Isasi-Diaz seems to be saying instead that Hispanics should have an equal right to the authoritative power that is exploited by the rich. Everyone, in other words, should have the same material goods. Under this scenario, the structure of society and power are not radically altered: oppression merely becomes an available tool for everyone.