ARAB 332
Islam and Feminism Fall 2024
Division II
Cross-listed REL 332 / WGSS 334

This course examines the relationship between feminism and Islam, exploring Islamic feminism, decolonial feminism, and the critiques of imperialist feminism, homonationalism, and femonationalism. The first part of the course will begin with a critical examination of orientalist and colonial representations of Muslim women as oppressed and in need of liberation. We will then explore Muslim responses to such critiques that were entwined with nationalist and independence movements. This historical backdrop is critical to understanding why the question of women and their rights and roles become crucial to Muslim self-understanding and Islamic reform. The second part of the course will explore the breadth of Islamic feminist literature, covering: 1) feminist readings of scripture; 2) feminist critiques of Islamic law; and 3) feminist theology. The final part of the course will focus on Muslim feminist and decolonial feminist critiques of feminism and its link to imperialism and the weaponization of gender and sexuality in global discourse.