This study examines the mobilisation of South African women into trade union activities between the period 1973 and 2003. Firstly, it underscores the role of South African women in fighting for... Show moreThis study examines the mobilisation of South African women into trade union activities between the period 1973 and 2003. Firstly, it underscores the role of South African women in fighting for workers’ rights in the workplace and their contributions in the building of the labour movement at the national level. In explaining the mobilisation of women, this research focuses on their social biography. It explores women’s experiences in society, the family (or personal relationships), the workplace and trade unions. It is shown that women’s experiences within all these different social settings are interconnected and influence their consciousness. Based on these observations, I argue that the activism of South African women takes place at the level of race, class and gender. Secondly, the study focuses on the participation of women trade unionists in the South African transition. It argues that women the struggles of women in the trade unions and the workplace have contributed significantly to the proposals adopted by the Women’s National Coalition which were subsequently incorporated into political negotiation process during the transition and ultimately into the constitution. Show less
The military intervention of 12 March 1971 traumatized 1968 radicalism in Turkey “radically”. March 12 novels offer testimonies of the period disguised in imaginative stories about the sufferings... Show moreThe military intervention of 12 March 1971 traumatized 1968 radicalism in Turkey “radically”. March 12 novels offer testimonies of the period disguised in imaginative stories about the sufferings and anxieties of individuals in 1970s Turkey. My hypothesis is that the March 12 novel is not simply a fallout from the military intervention but a complex mixture of sexual-social-political critique with a testimonial historiography of the events surrounding 12 March 1971. I argue that these novels carry out a critique of hypermasculinity, using excessive masculinity as a metaphor for the abuse of power that permeated the society. This aspect of the March 12 novel did not figure prominently in its reception in Turkey. What we have in March 12 novels is an image of manhood that is unquestionably impaired. This image links the questioning in the novels of corrupt state politics to the questioning of corrupt gender politics and the crises of 1968 radicalism to crises of gender. The March 12 novel critically examines the roots of the hunger for power and challengingly argues that the problem about recurring military regimes in Turkey is incorrectly conceived as the military question while the real problem is the tendency of people to go with power. Show less
This rich ethnographic study explores the life and work of successful marabout women in Dakar. it is set against the background of their private family lives, of developments in Senegalese society,... Show moreThis rich ethnographic study explores the life and work of successful marabout women in Dakar. it is set against the background of their private family lives, of developments in Senegalese society, and of global changes. While including female experts in spirit possession and plant-based healing, it also gives a rare insight in the work of women who offer Islamic knowledge such as Arabic astrology, numerology, divination and prayer sessions. With the analysis of marabout women's work this study sheds light on the ways in which women's authority is negotiated, legitimated, and publicly recognised in Dakar. The study focuses especially upon marabout women's strategies to gain their client's trust. Reference to rural areas is a significant element in this process. This study thus contributes to an understanding of a gendered way in which trust ans skepticism are related to marabout's work and of the the role of a connection between Dakar and the rural areas therein. Show less
The frequently diagnosed lumbar disc herniation can disappear by natural course, but still leads to high low back surgery rates. The optimal period of conservative care, before surgery is executed,... Show moreThe frequently diagnosed lumbar disc herniation can disappear by natural course, but still leads to high low back surgery rates. The optimal period of conservative care, before surgery is executed, was unknown. It is surprising that scientific evidence was lacking which justified “early” surgery. Surgery, after 6-12 weeks of sciatica, was compared to prolonged conservative care in 283 patients in a randomized study. Primary outcomes were perceived recovery, leg pain intensity and functioning. Early surgery resulted in a 2 times faster recovery rate, compared to prolonged conservative care. From the latter group 39 percent of patients could not evade surgery. Within one year, however, both groups presented similar recovery rates and outcome. The impossibility to sit, because of sciatica, seemed to be a good argument to decide for early surgery. Intense pain and disability were predictors for delayed surgery. Compared to men, females exhibited a 3 times higher odds to develop chronic pain. The higher medical costs of early surgery were fully compensated by quick resumption of working capacity. From a medical point of view one may favor a prolonged wait-and-see strategy but our western society urges patients to decide for early surgery to resume daily activities. Show less
Islamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and... Show moreIslamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and received notions of interpretive authority, both in Muslim majority societies as well as in the diasporic Islamic world. With their new interpretations they have contributed to the transformation of the legal, political and social rights of Muslim women. There are, however, also limitations to the feminist interpretations of scripture and their potential to deliver gender equality. Show less
ISIM organized a workshop on “Transnational Circuits: ‘Muslim Women’ in Asia” as part of the conference on Inter-Asian Connections convened by the Social Science Research Council together with the... Show moreISIM organized a workshop on “Transnational Circuits: ‘Muslim Women’ in Asia” as part of the conference on Inter-Asian Connections convened by the Social Science Research Council together with the Dubai School of Government in Dubai from 21-23 February. The conference aimed to launch new, transregional, and comparative research initiatives that go beyond more narrowly defined area-studies approaches and focus on the connections between different parts of Asia. The workshop addressed how women’s subjectivities were transformed in new transnational circuits of labour and consumption. It focused on the involvement of Muslim women in Asia in these circuits, be it as mobile people or as producers, propagators, and consumers of things, ideas, and images on the move. We used the notion “Muslim women” as a heuristic device to move beyond an area studies approach. This focus on Islam and gender turned out to be fruitful in analyzing three major Inter-Asian circuits: migrant domestic labour, transnational marriages, and fashionable styles of Muslim dress. Show less
This study examines the social world of reconciliation and healing in the aftermath of the protracted Mozambican civil war. Using a multidisciplinary approach (sociology, history, legal and medical... Show moreThis study examines the social world of reconciliation and healing in the aftermath of the protracted Mozambican civil war. Using a multidisciplinary approach (sociology, history, legal and medical anthropology, and international law) this research explores how reconciliation and healing unfold contributing to the repair of a devastated social world. It examines the war survivors__ judgments regarding the potential roles of various forms of transitional justice in redressing the abuses and crimes of the past, the contributions of the agricultural cycle and customary justice to reconciliation, and those of healing practices in addressing ill-health problems. The overall goal is to elucidate how the various social practices invested in reconciliation and healing contribute to rebuilding the shattered social world, to peace and to social stability. The study demonstrates that amidst the indescribable and appalling human disruption and material destruction coupled with the officially orchestrated post-war cultures of denial, war survivors in Gorongosa have laboured to create and maintain peace and social stability by breaking the cycles of injustice and unaccountability, reconciling with former enemies and healing the wounds of war. Show less
The permissability of hymen repair surgery is a controversial topic in Islamic contexts, as the opposing views of doctors convening at the 1987 meeting of the Islamic Organization of Medical... Show moreThe permissability of hymen repair surgery is a controversial topic in Islamic contexts, as the opposing views of doctors convening at the 1987 meeting of the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences testified. One would expect to find an even more diverse plethora of voices on the Internet, but the authors show that notwithstanding the image of the net as a decentralized medium that spurs pluralism, in practice it functions as a filter in which only a few dominant voices are heard in tremendous duplication. Show less
Gender issues are becoming politicized to the detriment of women in contexts where armed interventions usher in new blueprints for governance and “democratization.” Using illustrations from... Show moreGender issues are becoming politicized to the detriment of women in contexts where armed interventions usher in new blueprints for governance and “democratization.” Using illustrations from Afghanistan, this article shows that the nature of emerging political settlements may jeopardize stated international commitments to a women’s rights agenda, especially in contexts where security and the rule of law are severely compromised, where Islam becomes a stake in power struggles, and where ethnic/sectarian constituencies are locked in power struggles for representation in defence of their collective rights. Show less
In this article, Barlas joins the debates on the right and authority of Muslim women to interpret the Quran.1 As a way to move the conversation beyond simply asserting or refuting the right of this... Show moreIn this article, Barlas joins the debates on the right and authority of Muslim women to interpret the Quran.1 As a way to move the conversation beyond simply asserting or refuting the right of this or that person to read the Quran on this or that condition, she distinguishes between different types of interpretations and authority. Simultaneously, she attempts to come to grips with the tensions between an individual believer’s reading of the Quran and that of the community. Show less
The dissertation Anarchic Alchemists: Dissident Androgyny in Anglo-American Gothic Fiction from Godwin to Melville investigates the close generic links between British and American Gothic fictions... Show moreThe dissertation Anarchic Alchemists: Dissident Androgyny in Anglo-American Gothic Fiction from Godwin to Melville investigates the close generic links between British and American Gothic fictions from the late eighteenth-century up to the middle of the nineteenth century, including studies on William Godwin, Mary Shelley, Edgar Bulwer Lytton, Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Starting with the work of Brown and Godwin, a transatlantic analysis is conducted focusing on the cultural schemata that British and American authors of gothic fictions shared during the period in creating their work. The focus in this analysis lies on the cultural schema of alchemy. The ubiquitous presence of this figure in British and American gothic fiction is striking.. Significantly, in an age dominated by a radical political and social reform impulse, the fantastic figure of the alchemist carried with it a propensity to express themes concerning radical social reform, especially regarding issues of gender inequality. The presence of this figure in much of the literature investigated suggests an inherent link between alchemy, gothic fiction and a dissident androgynous gender impulse. Show less
Museums are a public space within the public sphere. Yet they also embody many aspects of the private sphere. This duality, (or perhaps neutrality), makes them appropriate as changeagents in the... Show moreMuseums are a public space within the public sphere. Yet they also embody many aspects of the private sphere. This duality, (or perhaps neutrality), makes them appropriate as changeagents in the segregated arena of Muslim society. Museums belong to a universal and growing movement that societies can use to develop a common voice about social concepts such as those relating to women’s equality. Show less
The ISIM invited 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi for her first formal visit to the Netherlands where she met with members of NGOs, government officials, scholars, students, and activists... Show moreThe ISIM invited 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi for her first formal visit to the Netherlands where she met with members of NGOs, government officials, scholars, students, and activists from 15-17 April 2004. On 16 April she gave a lecture at the Nieuwe of Littéraire Sociëteit de Witte in The Hague entitled, Human Rights, Women and Islam which is presented below in abridged form with some audience questions. Show less
There is a growing interest in the role of converts to Islam in Europe and the United States. However, whereas most converts to Islam appear to be women, this fact has been relatively neglected.... Show moreThere is a growing interest in the role of converts to Islam in Europe and the United States. However, whereas most converts to Islam appear to be women, this fact has been relatively neglected. The ISIM workshop on 'Gender and Conversion to Islam', held from 16 to 17 May 2003 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, was aimed to readdress this imbalance by focusing on gender and conversion to Islam in the West. Nine scholars from various countries and different disciplines were invited to compare their research material. Show less
Academic studies increasingly examine the relationship between the social organization of space, gender and sexuality in contemporary Muslim societies. Such studies tend to consider historical,... Show moreAcademic studies increasingly examine the relationship between the social organization of space, gender and sexuality in contemporary Muslim societies. Such studies tend to consider historical, socio-political and religious notions associated with the veil, or chador, as it is traditionally known in Iran. Whether bound up with the concept of male/female spatial binaries or closely involved with aspects of space that create visual and physical control, studies rarely deal with the veil as an entity that can be understood as a secondary space, or a 'habitat' which clinches women's bodies in public. Show less
The arrival of female genital cutting to northeastern Africa predates that of Christianity and Islam, and Muslims, Christians, and Jews continue the practice today. Popular association of the... Show moreThe arrival of female genital cutting to northeastern Africa predates that of Christianity and Islam, and Muslims, Christians, and Jews continue the practice today. Popular association of the practice with religious ideals has justified its continuation, and beliefs that the practice contradicts religious principles have justified its abandonment. Anthias and Yuval-Davis (1989) argue that strategic use of 'gender symbols' concerning the sexuality of women can reproduce religious boundaries, and this process of differentiation may involve national or transnational political bodies that endorse or oppose selected symbols. This framework helps to understand the diverging prevalence of female genital cutting among Christians and Muslims in Egypt. Show less
Established in 1999 at the American University in Cairo, the Institute for Gender and Women's Studies (IGWS) is a multipurpose and interdisciplinary research centre that serves scholars, activists... Show moreEstablished in 1999 at the American University in Cairo, the Institute for Gender and Women's Studies (IGWS) is a multipurpose and interdisciplinary research centre that serves scholars, activists and policy-makers interested in gender and women's studies in the Arabic-speaking world, Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia, Western Asia and Africa. The primary function of the institute is to serve as a resource nexus within and through which research projects, conferences, workshops, seminars, policy debates and educational programmes on gender and women's issues are engaged. Show less
Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the reintroduction of sharica law relating to gender and the family, women's rights suffered a major setback. However, as the implementers of the law... Show moreFollowing the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the reintroduction of sharica law relating to gender and the family, women's rights suffered a major setback. However, as the implementers of the law have faced the social realities of women's lives and aspirations, positive changes have gradually come about. Since the late 1980s there has been a growing debate in Iranian books and journals between proponents of different approaches to gender in Islam. During 1995, a series of discussions were held with clerical contributors to the debate in which clarification was sought for the jurisprudential bases for their approaches to gender issues. Show less
Using a structuralist-inspired approach the author analyses a collection of oral historical data from central western Zambia, namely 'Likota lya Bankoya', ('The history of the Nkoya people'),... Show moreUsing a structuralist-inspired approach the author analyses a collection of oral historical data from central western Zambia, namely 'Likota lya Bankoya', ('The history of the Nkoya people'), compiled by the first Nkoya Christian pastor, J. Shimunika, in the 1950s-1960s. He focuses on mutative transformations that mark two types of discontinuity: 1) deviations, in the Likota text, from contemporary Nkoya cultural practice; and 2) inconsistencies, in the text, within the pattern of oppositions by which a particular past episode is evoked. These transformations are shown to converge on the same pattern of changes in gender relations in the process of State formation. In conjunction with the contemporary ethnographic evidence on Nkoya society, these mutative transformations indicate that the 'feminist' message in the Likota text is not an historically irrelevant statement concerning a static cosmological order, but a reflection of an actual historical process relegating women in central western Zambia to inferiority in the political, ritual, economic, and kinship domains. Show less
