Contesting Feminisms: Gender and Islam in Asia (Suny Series - Genders in the Global South)

Creates a new space for hybrid feminist analysis of Asian Muslim women’s lives. Contesting Feminisms explores how Asian Muslim women make decisions on appropriating Islam and Islamic lifestyles through their own participation in the faith. The contributors highlight the fact that secularism has provided the space for some women to reclaim their religious identity and their own feminisms. Through compelling case studies and theoretical discussions, this volume challenges mainstream Western and national feminisms that presume homogeneity of Muslim women’s lives to provide a deeper understanding of the multiple realities of feminism in Muslim communities. “An educational, insightful, and powerful read.” — Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual “Contesting Feminisms attempts to offer nuanced understandings of Muslim women’s struggles that are firmly rooted in close attention to local social, economic, and historical contexts with an eye to opening up theoretical spaces in which to examine local and transnational feminist Muslim activism. As such, the volume offers rich insights into women’s lives and struggles in moving away from the reductionist frame of a strictly Qur’anic view of women that is mobilized by both Western detractors and Islamic normativizers to constrain women’s agency, and instead brings into view the heterogeneity of Muslim women’s lives and struggles.” — Zayn Kassam, editor of Women and Islam Huma Ahmed-Ghosh is Professor of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University and the editor of Asian Muslim Women: Globalization and Local Realities, also published by SUNY Press. Contents -1 Acknowledgments -1 Introduction -1 Locating Islamic and Non-Islamic Feminisms in Asia -1 Part I. Whose Feminism? Muslim Women Redefining “Empowerment” -1 Part II. Contesting Feminisms and Muslim Women’s Movements in Contested Spaces -1 Part III. Transnational Feminisms: Locating Muslim Women at the Crossroads -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Part I: Whose Feminism? Muslim Women Redefining “Empowerment” -1 1. Muslim Women’s Leadership in Uzbekistan: Religion and Emotion -1 Leadership and Emotions -1 The State, Islam, and Otinchalar in Uzbekistan -1 The Self and Identity -1 Bibi Gul’ -1 In and Out of Otincha -1 “I do it” -1 Muslim Women’s Leadership: Islamic and Islamist Feminists -1 The Two Women: The Two Leaders -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 2. Feminization of Islam? Agency and Visibility of Women in Southern Thailand’s Branch of the Tablighi Jama’at’s Missionary Movement -1 Introduction -1 The Theoretical Context -1 The Tablighi Jama’at -1 The Tablighi Jama’at in Southern Thailand -1 Everyday Politics in Muslim Communities -1 Women as Participants in the Da’wa Movement -1 Concluding Remarks -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 3. Women’s Empowerment in the Xi’an Muslim District -1 Introduction -1 Comparative Ethnographies of Muslim Women -1 Scholarship on Hui Women -1 Structure -1 Agency -1 Collective Sentiment -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 4. The Influence of the National Question on Gender Issues in the Muslim Areas of the Southern Philippines: Maranao Muslim Women between Retraditionalization and Islamic Resurgence -1 Introduction -1 Retraditionalization -1 Women in the Sultanate System -1 Islam and the Sultanate System -1 Islamic Feminism -1 Islamic Parties and the Return of the Traditional Political Elites -1 Gender Blind Reward System -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Part II: Feminisms and Muslim Women’s Movements in Contested Spaces -1 5. The Headscarf Ban and Muslim Women’s Rights Discourse in Turkey -1 Introduction -1 Personal Elaborations on the Women’s Rights Discourse -1 Emergence of Women’s Rights Language -1 A Campaign During Elections -1 Two Women’s Rights Associations -1 The Capital City Women’s Platform -1 The Women’s Rights Association Against Discrimination (AKDER) -1 Criticisms of the Employment of Women’s Rights Discourses -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 6. Intersecting Dynamics: Representational Activism and New Mobilities among “Muslim Women” in India -1 Introduction -1 Problematizing an Essentialized Category—the “Muslim Woman” -1 The Politics of Representation of “Mobility” and “Immobility” -1 A Watershed Moment for the Muslim Women’s Movement in Postcolonial India: The Shah Bano Case and Its Aftermath -1 Slow But Steady: A Diversification of Media Representations -1 Discourse and Praxis: Islamic Feminism and Muslim Women’s Activism in India -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Cited Websites -1 7. Islamic Feminism between Interpretive Freedom and Legal Codification: The Case of Sisters in Islam in Malaysia -1 Introduction -1 The Right to Reason -1 Contesting Patriarchy: Sisters in Islam -1 Legal Rationalities, Activist Potentialities -1 Conclusion -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 8. Faith-based Challenges to the Women’s Movement in Pakistan -1 Enlightened Moderation -1 Democratic Opportunity for Islamists, Women, and Islamist Women -1 Faith-Based Feminisms -1 Contesting for Primacy in the Private Realm -1 Cultural Authenticity -1 Some Proposals of Reconciliation -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Periodicals and Newspapers -1 Reports and Unpublished Papers -1 Part III: Transnational Feminisms: Locating Muslim Women at the Crossroads -1 9. From Dhaka to Cincinnati: Charting Transnational Narratives of Trauma, Victimization, and Survival -1 Introduction -1 Bina’s Story -1 The Faces of Hope Story -1 Naripokkho’s Story -1 Bibliography -1 10. Governance Feminism’s Imperial Misadventure: Progress, International Law, and the Security of Afghan Women -1 Abstract -1 Liberalism’s Daughter: Governance Feminism and the Narrative of Progress -1 Alternatives Visions of Flourishing: Islam and Women’s Lives -1 The Costs of Representing Muslim Women as Victims: Fractured Alliances, Imperiled Lives, and the Weak “Rights” -1 Fractured Alliances -1 Imperiled Lives: The Use of International Law and Force -1 Conclusion: Weak Rights/Weak States and the Limits of the Law -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 11. Islam, Feminism, and Agency in Germany Today -1 Theorizing Agency -1 Immigrants, Feminism, and Agency -1 Secular and Religious Feminisms -1 Feminist Activist Agents, European Space -1 Not Religious and of Muslim Heritage -1 Muslim and Feminist -1 Islamic Feminist -1 Implications for Democratic Subjectivities -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Contributors -1 Index -1 "Contesting Feminisms explores how Asian Muslim women make decisions on appropriating Islam and Islamic lifestyles through their own participation in the faith. The contributors highlight the fact that secularism has provided the space for some women to reclaim their religious identity and their own feminisms. Through compelling case studies and theoretical discussions, this volume challenges mainstream Western and national feminisms that presume homogeneity of Muslim women's lives to provide a deeper understanding of the multiple realities of feminism in Muslim communities"--Back cover