Feminism and Islamism in the Middle East and North Africa

Catalog description

What does it mean to identify as a "feminist" or an "Islamist" in the MENA region today, and to what extent are those terms philosophically and politically compatible? Is feminism itself - and movements for gender equality and LGBTQ rights in the region more broadly - a legacy of colonialism and Western influence/ intervention? Or do such movements have local, organic roots expressed through Islamic texts and history, and even Islamist forms of political activism? How can we appraise the track record of so-called Islamist movements (e.g.: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Turkey's AK Parti, Tunisia's Ennahdha Party, and Morocco's Freedom and Justice Party and Al-Adl wal Ihsan movement) on promoting women's rights and gender inclusivity in comparison to states, secularly oriented political movements, and jihadist movements in the region? Students in this course will explore these questions by critically engaging with historical texts and country case studies, in addition to materials produced by and about feminist, Islamic, and Islamist actors.