Arab Feminisms Conference

Topics:

The following  themes and topics – and sets of topics — are not necessarily intended to be specific subjects of the various panels, but rather to stimulate ideas and provoke discussion. We hope that the participants in the conference will draw on them to create the subjects on which they will base their contributions.

THEME I: FEMINIST THOUGHT AND WOMEN’S STUDIES

I. a)Arab feminist thought:

What is Arab feminism and what are its Arab particularities?

Is it comprehensive and therefore applicable to the whole Arab world or are there specific forms of feminism particular to its various sub-regions (i.e., Maghreb, Mashreq, the Gulf) and social classes and divisions?

Is Arab feminism related to feminist movements around the world, and specifically the Third World? How and why? Who produced Arab feminism? What was its impact on its own cultural and intellectual milieu? What was its influence on the nature of field research and consequently on the nature of scholarly production concerning women? To what extent has Arab feminist thought improved the actual lives of Arab women?

Has Arab feminism been a bourgeois privilege, or a necessary tool for the development of Arab society as a whole?

I. b) Feminist Movement/Women’s Movement:

The difference between the terms “feminist movement ” and “women’s movement” are not merely formal or semantic. Feminist thought examines dominant social structures in the light of the various social, cultural, economic, political, and epistemic conditions of which they are constituted, while the women’s movements are concerned with practical activities aimed at improving the condition of women in particular spheres. Arab women’s associations and NGOs do not necessarily espouse feminist thought even while they seek to remedy some of the injustices suffered by women. This is especially true of those members of the women’s movements who do not see it as their business to locate, whether theoretically or practically, or to dismantle the factors that produce the injustices against women in the first place.  Furthermore, there is a marked presence among activists for women’s rights of those who actively refuse to be labeled as feminists. Is this to them purely a matter of terminology? Or is it that the term “feminist” itself connotes a specific concept, content or reputation that these women reject?

Do some Arab societies suffer from an active rift between the feminist movement and the women’s movement? If so, why?

I. c) The Epistemology of Arab Women’s/ Feminist Studies:

The last quarter of the 20^th century witnessed a huge production of studies dealing with a range of issues concerning women in the Arab world. This period also saw the foundation of several academic institutes and centers specializing in women’s concerns, as well as the long-awaited entrance of Women’s Studies into the curricula of some Arab universities.

But did these developments grow out of Arab feminist thought?  To what extent did these new studies promote Arab feminism? What contributions did these studies make to feminist thought? To what extent did they succeed in creating their own concepts, their own methods and tools of research with which to grasp the complexity of Arab culture and societies and the situation of women in them?

Did Arab feminist studies manage to contextualize concepts and methods according to the specificities of the region, bearing in mind that research concepts and methodologies inevitably derive from a particular worldview, a particular philosophical framework? In view of the advances made in international feminist studies, which have critically reassessed concepts, methods and their signification in order to further women’s issues and reorganize their priorities, how can we measure Arab feminism and its accomplishments in this regard? Has Arab feminism succeeded in locating and adopting new and relevant scholarly advancements for the study of Arab women? Have Arab feminist studies addressed – to a sufficient degree — the problems arising from the masculine bias of the Arabic language?  What has been the contribution of Arab feminism to the study of the Humanities in the Arab world?

I. d) The Future of Arab Feminist Studies:

Can Arab women’s studies remain unaffected by current changes in international scholarship, which are tending toward major shifts in their paradigms regarding humans in general and women in particular? Are we in the Arab world in step with this dynamic of change? Will Arab feminist studies remain diligent in updating and reassessing their paradigms as Arab societies change and grow? How can these studies achieve their objectives while young Arabs, living in a globalized world, have gone on to embrace alternative life styles and are therefore no longer suffering from the same problems that beset previous generations? As obvious as it may sound, it is important to note that today’s young people live in environments shaped by developments in genetic and neurological research, a globalized economy, revolutionized information and communication technology, and an internationally available media. Is Arab feminism willing — and able — to change its paradigms in contemplating Arab women’s issues and in devising development projects that take into account these radical changes in society?

THEME II. ARAB FEMINISM: THE  DISCOURSE OF “MODERNITY VS. TRADITION”

II. a)Arab Feminism and Modernity:

There is a tendency in both academic and popular writing about women to suggest that modernity is the exclusive property of Western women and feminists; or in other words that modernity is a function of Western societies, their arts and literature, and so on. Such a tendency, which constantly reproduces a description of Arab women and societies as “traditional”, has the pernicious effect of distorting Arab societies’ image of themselves, as well as assuming that they had nothing to do with the development of the many forms of modernity extant in the world. Such a tendency is ideological in the sense that it not only erases the perception of what there is of the modern in Arab societies, but also robs them of their contributions to the project of modernity and their role in its construction. Arab societies are accordingly defined as mere followers and eternal imitators of a project that in its very nature is not theirs.

Has Arab feminism tackled this issue? Has Arab feminism presented women’s issues in Arab societies as part and parcel of modernity rather than inherent to what is vaguely referred to as “tradition”? What are the components and attributes of Arab modernity, which would certainly differ from the western model of individualism, capitalism, industrialism, and sexual liberty, but nonetheless constitute a definable and tangible set of values and characteristics? How would we define these, and how are they related to feminism?

II. b) Arab Feminism and Religion:

In general, when the subject of women in Islam is broached, whether in academic circles or in the media, it is often presented  in a simplistic and stereotypical manner.  Have Arab feminists contributed significantly and to a sufficient degree to the world-wide discussion of women in Islam? To what degree have Arab feminists addressed the masculine bias in the language, texts, and androcentric constructs of religious culture?

What precisely is the nature of “Islamic feminism”? How did it develop? How do the positions taken by Islamic feminists differ from those of feminists in other religions?

II.c) The Source of Women’s Rights in Arab Societies:

The interrelated nature of the various sources of citizenship rights in the Arab world, together with existing moral and social standards and practice, make it difficult to isolate and identify the precise factors directly responsible for depriving women of their rights. On what, in fact, do we base our claim to rights? And what are these rights? In other words, what is the source of women’s rights in Arab societies? Is it the national constitutions, many of which were set during colonial times? Is it based in civil law or religious jurisdiction? Is it based in international accords such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The UN Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)? Is it based in leftist, nationalist or liberal ideologies in the Arab world? Are there undisclosed sources of women’s rights in existing cultures? If so, what is their nature and who controls them?

To what degree have feminists investigated these sources and discovered the points of weakness in them and the precise obstacles that hinder the application of women’s claims to rights based on them?

III. ARAB FEMINISMS IN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD POLITICS:

III. a) Feminism, Orientalism and Post-Colonialism:

The term “colonial feminism” is currently employed in international feminist circles. It refers to the feminism propagated, beginning in the 19^th century, by Western colonial powers in regions under their rule, which aims to misrepresent and defame local cultures in order to justify imperial agendas under the guise of ameliorating the living conditions of woman in these cultures, which it labels as “backward”, “inhuman,” and “traditional.”

In reaction, Arab and Muslim feminists, especially those engaged in resisting colonialism, have denounced this sort of feminism as part of the larger orientalist attack on Arab and Islamic culture. Yet at the same time Arab and Muslim women face real problems which feminists actively denounce. This sometimes leads to a confluence of the propositions put forth by Arab feminism and “colonial feminism.”

So what is to be done? What stand should Arab feminists take in the face of this problematic coincidence of interests? How can we develop Arab feminism into mature and independent forms whose function is to resist cultural imperialism and at the same time combat those practices, laws, and cultural standards of Arab society that discriminate against women?

III. b) Comparative Feminisms: North/South

An essential aspect of our conference will be introducing various feminist experiences and the development of feminist thought in non-Arab nations of the South. Participants from nations such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines as well as some South American and African nations, will be asked to present the course taken by feminist thought in each of their countries or regions, concentrating especially on the sources, nature, and development of feminism, its current situation, as well as the main intellectual, organizational and cultural problems they face. What is the relationship between the different forms of feminisms that have developed in the third world? Are there factors that they all have in common, and that can allow us to refer to a world feminist movement? How can the relationship between feminist thought in the North and the South be developed?  Is there room in it for a productive and equitable relationship based on mutual benefit rather than hostile rejection or servile imitation?

Where do Arab feminisms stand in relation to this worldwide configuration? What, if anything, connects Arab feminisms to other forms of feminisms in the South?

III. c). Arab Feminisms in the Context of War and Civil Conflicts:

What is the status of feminism in Arab countries that are under foreign occupation or beset by internal armed conflict? Can the demands of women be put forth in these circumstances? Can women’s issues be propounded and pursued regardless of the external and internal crises facing some Arab countries? What are the various problems faced by feminist and/or women’s movements while pursuing their demands during times of war? Has Arab feminist thought contributed to solving these problems? If so, how? If not, why not? Does foreign feminist thought, whether from the North or South, share in propounding these problematics?

THEME IV: FEMINISM, REVIVAL AND CREATIVITY

IV: a) Feminism and Youth

What impact has Arab feminism had on young people in the Arab world? What are the “feminisms” of these younger generations? How has feminism manifested itself through new forms of art and literature, which this generation uses to express, or rather, construct its sexual identity? For it is clear that in the new cross-disciplinary and mixed forms of art, inequality among the sexes is no longer equivocally expressed but clearly put forth. Is the critical stance of young people towards mainstream social patterns a result of local feminist practices? Is it related in any way to the kind of social criticism undertaken by international feminism?

Has Arab feminism in fact and in any way tackled the issue of ageism, and the problems between the generations? Similarly, has it addressed the problems of marginalized communities and the minorities?

IV. b) Arab Feminisms and the Arts:

How have the arts in the Arab world expressed various notions of feminism? Which are the plays and movies and other forms of art, and who are the artists that have most expressed these feminist notions? What literary works have a feminist character?