In Senegal, questions of gender, notably the regulation of marital relations, are hotly debated, and pit Islamic authorities against the government. While the Family Code of 1972 promotes women’s... Show moreIn Senegal, questions of gender, notably the regulation of marital relations, are hotly debated, and pit Islamic authorities against the government. While the Family Code of 1972 promotes women’s rights to get a divorce in court, local social realities are different. This study explores the public debate about family law and provides an ethnography of family law practice. It shows how women navigate thecontested spaces of family law as they try to change the terms their marriages or obtain divorce. The role of family is key. Women must work their kin to mobilize support. They may also interact with local authorities – the imam, the chef de quartier, the House of Justice, and the judge. This study shows that women draw on multiple and overlapping sets of norms and tend to invoke the state only as last resort. Behind the polarized debate hides a practice that is fluid. This is reflected in the relations between local authorities, who recognize and respect each other’s roles, even if they work from competing claims to authority. Show less
The title of this study raises questions about the meaning and the significance of the words 'modernity', 'tradition' and 'Political Islam' in contemporary Iran. The purpose of this study is to... Show moreThe title of this study raises questions about the meaning and the significance of the words 'modernity', 'tradition' and 'Political Islam' in contemporary Iran. The purpose of this study is to reveal true meanings of the thoughts and practises of the post-revolution Iranian elites and intellectuals, in relations to and alongside the social events, to emphasize the existence of a modernisation process in the institution of state and the moderate re-interpretation of Islam in the religious establishment, which together have given rise to the distinctly Iranian features of political development. This study shall be in a socio-historical setting because political changes and social events in contemporary Iran are difficult to identify and impossible to understand unless their roots are discovered in their true locations. Show less
