Islam, Gender, Women Unit

Muslim Feminism, Decoloniality, and Tradition

Building on the success of our 2023 IGW session, the 2024 IGW session will be a non-traditional position paper session that aims to engender a conversation about the current state of the field of women and gender in Islamic studies.

We envision a discussion of the interactions and connections between the following three themes:

• the study and practice of Muslim and Islamic feminisms,
• decolonial approaches as they intersect with Islam and gender,
• the role of “tradition” and authority in the study of Islam and gender

We invite proposals for (short) position papers (for 8-10 minute prsentations) that offer formulations of and reflections on one or more of the three themes above. These position papers should not present new research or summaries of existing work, but rather focus on patterns, developments, challenges and questions to facilitate discussion.    

We seek position papers that address any of the intersections of Muslim feminism, decoloniality, the study of Islam, tradition, history, and interpretive possibilities.

Some questions that may assist in developing the focus of your position paper are: How do decoloniality and Critical Muslim Studies include considerations of gender? What is the relation between tradition and decoloniality? How are notions of Islamic tradition constructed, challenged, or deconstructed in the work of contemporary Muslim scholars in different contexts and in other decolonial scholarship? How does the critique of the tradition in Muslim feminist studies relate to decoloniality? How does a decolonial turn toward ‘tradition’ also privilege patriarchy? 

In keeping with our commitment to non-traditional programming, those selected for this session will be asked to offer a short (max. 10 minute) presentation of their position paper (which will be pre-circulated). The position paper presentations will be followed by a facilitated roundtable discussion amongst all attendees of the session.  For this session, IGW is not accepting proposals for standard conference papers or for prearranged paper panels. Rather, we solicit position papers on the themes of the CFP that will serve as a basis for discussion and reflection on the current state of the field.

Please be aware of timeline:

October 15: Panelists submit a full draft of their position paper

November 1: Position papers will be posted in the annual meeting app (accessible to registered participants)

Feminist Pedagogy in Islamic Studies (Co-sponsored session with Study of Islam Unit)

For a co-sponsored paper session with the Study of Islam program unit, we invite submissions that center on (1) tangible teaching methods, (2) assignments, (3) classroom activities, (4) curriculum design that foster a feminist pedagogical approach to the Islamic Studies classroom. We envision a session in which presenters share a specific pedagogical tool and discuss its application in the classroom, rather than presenting a traditional paper on feminist pedagogy in Islamic studies, followed by group discussions, thereby meeting our expectation of non-traditional session formats. Submissions should emphasize hands-on approaches, activities, and assignments that engage students in critical thinking and reflection while also paying attention to scholarship on teaching and learning. Proposal should explicitly demonstrate how your submission aligns with feminist pedagogical principles in Islamic Studies and contributes to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment.