ABSTRACT
When a clergywoman preaches from a pulpit, she enters a space which has particular aesthetic value, for this space has been occupied and its character defined by male presence for centuries. She faces the double challenge of establishing her personal style and of confronting any number of aesthetic expectations which are associated with the pulpit. The inhabitants of Dante Alighieri's universe are consigned to prescribed spaces. Similarly, each participant in Sue's field placement sanctuary was consigned to her or his prescribed space and role. The design of the pulpit and its implied expectations communicated to Sue that it belonged to 'their world', and whatever that meant at the time to Sue and that congregation, it was clearly not a space she comfortably inhabited from either her perspective or theirs. As she talked about her strategy, she reflected that, from her observations, this is a 'female' approach.
