Women and Islamic Feminism in the Middle East

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Dr. Iris Fruchter-Ronen, University of Haifa

 

About the lecture:

Women and Islamic Feminism in the Middle East: Time to Change Perception?

The terms Arab Feminism or Islamic Feminism, are sometimes perceived as oxymorons by westerners, but the past decade has seen a change. Since the events of the Arab Spring, we have witnessed shifts and new trends across Arab and Muslim societies in the Middle East. These have led to a sort of renegotiation between forces of tradition and forces of modernization. Social norms have been challenged and we have seen clashes between conservative and liberal values and perceptions. Ideological-political conflicts have erupted between secular-nationalist groups and the more religiously-inclined sectors of these societies.

 

Dr. Iris Fruchter-Ronen teaches at the Department of Middle East History, University of Haifa, where she specializes in the history and politics of Jordan and Arab Feminism. Her doctoral thesis, Jordan and the Palestinian Challenge, examined how constructions of Jordanian identity were represented in educational textbooks in the Kingdom between 1964 and 1994. Iris Fruchter-Ronen is also an active member of The Forum for Regional Thinking (FORTH) - an independent Jewish and Arab research institute and ’Think and Do Tank’ that was founded in order to change public discourse and opinion in Israel regarding the country's relationship with its neighbors.

 

Sunday, May 22,  8 pm Israel / 7 pm CET / 6 pm UK / 1 pm EST