Women and inheritance: a reading of Numbers 27:1-11; 36 & Joshua 17:1-6 from the perspective of gender advocacy

Abstract

The narratives on the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-11; 36:1-13 & Joshua 17:1-6) have been widely read by literary and feminist critics. Feminists have hailed the daughters for their courage [Sakenfeld, 1995; Claassens, 2013] whilst Post –Colonial critics have criticised them for partaking in the imperialist role of taking the land of the Canaanites [Mbuwayesango, 2003]. Through these varied meanings on the same text, we can conclude that the hermeneutical approach to a text has an influence on the meanings that can be drawn from the text. Yet scholars seem to overlook the role that the steps/strategy the daughters adopted had on the results they achieved. Thus, I set out to read the narratives on the daughters from the perspective of gender advocacy. In doing so, I used reader-response criticism which proposes that meaning is inherent within the reader and the text. The study established that the daughters of Zelophehad used a strategy that enabled them break the boundaries of patriarchy to attain their land (economic freedom). They, therefore, did not merely achieve success but also established a blue print which can be adopted and used by individuals and groups experiencing some form of religious, cultural and economic discrimination. Consequently, the study suggests that when the strategy that the daughters used was adopted to the Ghanaian context, some reforms can be attained to change cultural practices that negatively affect women.