"Extremely timely and exciting given the broad and deep impact Mernissi's work had on the fields of women and gender studies with reference to the Middle East."—Nadje Al-Ali, coeditor of We Are Iraqis: Aesthetics and Politics in the a Time of War
"These essays reveal Mernissi’s brilliance, from her critiques of western discourses of Islam and Muslims and the patriarchy of both the West and her own society , to her vast knowledge of Islamic and Arab literature, and her deep understanding of female subordination and sexuality. Moallem and Bacchetta have made a major contribution to feminism with this anthology."—Inderpal Grewal, author of Transnational America: Feminisms, Diasporas, Neoliberalisms
"Fifteen authors explore the myriad facets of the life of this public intellectual who recognized no boundaries in her pursuit of justice and whose enduring influence has spread far beyond her native North Africa."—miriam cooke, Braxton Craven Distinguished Professor Emerita of Arab Cultures, Duke University
Description
This volume pays tribute to the late Fatema Mernissi, a pioneering feminist sociologist and writer whose work profoundly influenced feminist and civic activism in Muslim and Arab societies and beyond. Bringing together an international group of scholars, the book explores pressing issues of women, gender, and sexuality in Muslim and Arab countries and their diasporas, engaging in a dynamic dialogue with Mernissi’s work.
The collection examines Mernissi’s contributions through three key axes: her challenge to uneven transnational geopolitical power relations; her unique approach to Islamic feminism, positing compatibility between egalitarian interpretations of Islam and social justice; and her feminist decolonial approach that both deconstructs hegemonic knowledge frames and produces new forms of knowledge.
With original essays by scholars of diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including anthropology, sociology, development studies, queer studies, literature, and regional studies, this volume offers fresh perspectives on Mernissi’s influential ideas. Each contributor engages with Mernissi’s work using her feminist theoretical framework, while extending it into their specific areas of scholarship.
About the Author
Minoo Moallem is professor of gender and women’s studies and director of media Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Persian Carpets: The Nation as a Transnational Commodity.
Paola Bacchetta is professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Co-Motion: On Feminist and Queer Solidarities.
Related Interest
Series: Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East
6 x 9, 326 pages, 3 black and white illustrations
March 2025