Women and Social Change in the Middle East
Spring 2012
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Course Schedule:
Course Location:
Dalia Abdelhady
Finngatan 16
Room no. 302
Tuesday 14:00-15:00
and by appointment
dalia.abdelhady@cme.lu.se
March 24 – May 28
Monday & Wednesday 13:00-14:45
Finngatan 16, seminar room
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The key drivers of social change in the Middle East are traditionally considered to be economic
development and modernization of the state. For the last two decades, ruling elites of Middle
Eastern countries have implemented liberalization policies in an attempt to foster economic
growth, and women in the region have benefitted in numerous ways from such policies. The state
has played an important role in facilitating women’s access to education, employment, economic
opportunities, leadership positions and general participation in public life. Economic
liberalization also granted women’s access to markets and motivated many to start or expand
their private businesses. However, despite these changes in women’s lives, in many countries in
the Middle East women’s participation in collective forms of action has at times aimed at
changing governmental policies towards women, or aimed at challenging social gender norms
altogether.
This course addresses the role of women in promoting social change in the contemporary Middle
East with a primary focus on the interaction between women’s activism and state actors. We will
start with a general overview that contextualizes the role of women in Middle Eastern society
within historical and theoretical contexts. We will then interrogate specific processes of change
in the economic, political and cultural spheres. In doing so, we will discuss specific forms of
social change that women have brought about in society and focus on contemporary movements
to promote social change further. Special attention will be given to the role of both the global
context and local national traditions in shaping the role of women’s activism in contemporary
Middle Eastern Society.
Learning Outcomes
Upon finishing the course, students would be expected to:
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describe different processes of social change and their impact on women in the presentday Middle East;
illustrate, analyse and assess the role of women in guiding specific forms of social change
in the contemporary Middle East;
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assess opportunities and obstacles promoting or challenging gender equality in the
Middle East;
evaluate the role of local traditions and cultures in enhancing or limiting the role of
women in social change in the Middle East; and
evaluate the role of globalization in affecting the role of women in social change in the
Middle East.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The course requires readings, class participation and several written assignments. In addition to
these requirements, students are also expected to present a term paper in class and in writing. The
grade distribution is as follows:
Class Attendance and Participation
Daily Reflection Essays
Final Paper (paper and in-class presentation)
25 percent
50 percent
25 percent
Class Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to keep up with reading assignments and think about the readings critically
before they come to class. Informed participation is expected from all students and there will be
various opportunities for discussion to ensure that all students have a chance to participate.
While first-hand experiences and personal opinions are often welcome, students are expected to
focus their class participation on analytical insights and theoretical details to construct their
arguments.
To obtain full credit for attendance and participation a student should:

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Attend all class meetings
Read all course material before coming to class
Discuss the readings during class
Integrate arguments across readings
Answer questions presented by the instructor and other students
Ask questions relating to readings or comments that are presented by other students
Lead class discussion during at least one class session
Visit during office hours to clarify ideas
Offer questions or comments via email
While in class please follow these common courtesy rules:

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Turn off cell-phones (and don’t just put them on vibrate)
Laptops and other electronic devices are not acceptable for use during class
Show up to class on time
Stay alert in class
Refrain from disruptive behavior
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Since students’ involvement is required in almost every class meeting, attendance records will be
kept for each class. Missing more than two classes will reduce your grade by one full letter.
Missing more than four classes will result in your failure, regardless of your performance in the
other requirements.
Daily Reflections
To facilitate class discussion and participation, students are expected to submit a total of TEN
reflection essays before class readings are due, and each will be worth 5 points. The essay should
focus on the set of reading to be discussed in class for that day. The essay should be a brief
discussion of what you believe to be the most important argument of the readings. Your
reflection should focus on the ways the main arguments raised by the authors relate to (or
explain) the conditions of women in the Middle East and the main aspects of social change that
they are engaged in. Each reflection essay should also discuss the ways the authors’ argument
informs future research by posing possible research questions that relate to the topic.
I will evaluate your reflection statements based on the following rubric:1
Exceeds Expectations
(5 points)
Meets Expectations
(3 points)
Fails to meet expectations
(1 point)
Identification
You identified the main
arguments and the
important concepts used
to make it.
You identified a
concept and provided a
comprehensive
definition.
You did not identify or
define a concept from the
reading.
Significance
You placed the argument
within the general field
of Middle East Studies,
and your own views and
empirical applications.
You used comparisons
with other authors to
make your point. You
creatively highlighted
the ways the argument
can be used in future
research.
You expressed the
practical and
theoretical significance
of the argument.
You failed to mention the
significance of the
argument.
Technical
exposition
Your statement is well
organized and
interesting.
Adequate organization
and flow of statement.
Incomprehensible
organization, stylistic
problems and lacks
coherence.
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The two grading rubrics were developed from material from Dr. Lisa Brush at the University of Pittsburgh and
adopted with permission.
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Final Paper and Presentation
A 3500-word paper is required for this course, which is due on June 9th. You should choose one
of two options for the topic of your paper:
Option One: A research proposal that outlines the study of a topic related to those discussed in
class. The proposal should consist of a clearly-stated research question, literature review,
research justification, methodology and strategies for data collection. Ideally, this proposal will
be similar to the one you are required to submit to your thesis advisor later in June.
Option Two: An analysis of a case study of a form of women’s collective action in the Middle
East. Your paper should highlight the historical background, specific goals and strategies, and
organizational aspects to your case study. You should also analyze the case study within the
context of the various arguments or case studies discussed in class. If you take this option, you
will need to make sure that your paper provides more than a descriptive summary of the case
study, in the form of an analytical/critical argument.
Students should think of the term paper as an enjoyable exercise that allows them to explore a
topic of their interest as well as demonstrate their analytical skills. Term papers will be evaluated
based on your ability to demonstrate the following steps:

Think about the topic you choose.
o The topic needs to move beyond descriptive analysis and focus on a question,
puzzle or problematic.

Pick literature that is most relevant to that topic.
o Use at least three readings from the class.

Find references in the library that supplement class readings.
o Be extensive but also pay attention to finding relevant ones that relate directly to
your topic.

Formulate an argument that the paper addresses based on your sources.
o Your paper should be based on a clear thesis statement that reflects the
organization of your thoughts in a logical way that develops throughout the paper.
o If you’re working on a research proposal, make sure that your research question is
succinct and that everything you include in your proposal is relevant to it.

Summarize the arguments in the various readings and use these summaries to formulate
the outline for the paper.
o Your thesis statement and outline will probably change over time, but they keep
you focused when it is time to write.
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Follow the outline to elaborate the arguments of the different authors in a clear manner.
Build your literature review in an interesting way.
o And make sure that you are connecting it to your thesis statement.

Make sure that the paper provides a single focused line of argument, and includes an
introduction and a conclusion.
o Your thesis should indicate a clear purpose for the paper and should be
established in the introduction, developed logically and fully throughout the
paper, and summarized and clearly articulated in the conclusion.

Reference all sources used in the paper both within the body of the paper and in a Works
Cited page. Use the Chicago Manual of Style.

The deadline for the optional draft is May 28th
Students should keep in mind some basics of writing good papers:
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Support your claims. Make an argument instead of unsupported assertions.
Focus on analytical insights instead of opinions.
Connect ideas, sentences and paragraphs.
Make sure that your writing flows and that sentences are well constructed to show how
ideas relate. Write simply.
DO NOT use Google or Wikipedia (Google Scholar is OK).
Use course material, academic journals (obtained through databases) and scholarly books.
I will evaluate the term paper based on the following rubric:
Exceeds expectations
(20 points)
Meets expectations
(15 points)
Fails to meet
expectations (10
points)
General
Structure
 Thesis statement well
stated.
 Literature well chosen
for topic.
 All relevant concepts
are discussed.
 Clear thesis.
 Literature well chosen
for topic.
 Some concepts are
discussed.
No clear thesis
statement. Discussed
concepts are not
applicable to topic.
Content
 Uses topic to apply
knowledge of the
Middle East.
 Identifies similarities
and differences
between different
approaches.
 Clear connections
between paper topic
and the field.
 Identifies some of the
main agreements and
disagreements in the
literature.
Fails to apply
knowledge of the field
to paper topic. Fails to
identify similarities
and differences. Fails
to draw conclusions
or integrate personal
opinion to argument.
5
Exceeds expectations
(20 points)
Meets expectations
(15 points)
 Draws thoughtful
conclusions from the
literature review.
 Integrates personal
opinion with material
thoughtfully.
 Summarizes
implications of the
topic to Middle Eastern
Studies.
 Attempts to make
conclusions but with
some difficulty
explaining the
significance of these
conclusions.
 Integration of
personal opinion is
incomplete.
Organization
and
Development
 Thesis is established in
the introduction, is
fully developed
throughout the paper,
and a reasonable
conclusion is
articulated.
 Strong connections of
ideas and transitions
through the paper that
facilitate
understanding.
 Thesis reflects the
purpose of the paper.
Introduction and
conclusion are present
but may be
incompletely
developed.
 Makes coherent
connections between
sentences. Uses
transitions between
paragraphs and within
them.
Conventions
and editing
 Accurate and consistent  Accurate and
citations.
consistent citations.
 Writing flows and
 Thoughtful writing,
contains wellbut not always
constructed sentences
effective.
that show relations
 Occasional use of
between ideas.
awkward sentences.
 Precise sentence-level
editing.
Fails to meet
expectations (10
points)
 No main idea.
Ineffective
introduction and/or
conclusion.
 Connections
between ideas are
confusing or not
present.
Improper citations,
phrasing interferes
with reader
understanding, no
editing apparent.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Dishonesty
I am quite confident that no one in this class would violate academic conventions regarding
dishonesty. However, it is my duty to inform you that any student who breaks the rules by
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cheating, plagiarizing, or falsifying records will receive a failing grade for the course and have
the case reported to the University administration.
Religious Observance
Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should
notify me in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss, in advance, acceptable
ways of making up any work missed because of the absence.
Disability Accommodations
Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact the MA Program
Coordinator, Professor Torsten Janson, to verify the disability and to establish eligibility for
accommodations.
GRADES
Grades will be granted based on the following scale:
A = 94+
B+ = 87-89
C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69
A- = 90-93
B=
84-86
C = 74-76 D = 64-66
B- = 80-83
C- = 70-73 D- = 60-63
F = 59>
About the Grading Scale
A: Outstanding work that goes above and beyond the requirements of the assignment and
demonstrates exceptional critical skills and creativity. Outstanding effort, significant
achievement, and mastery of the material of the course are clearly evident.
B: Above Average work that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the course material,
fulfills all aspects of the assignment and goes a bit beyond minimum competence to extra effort,
extra achievement or extra improvement.
C: Average work that fulfills ALL aspects of the assignment with satisfactory understanding of
course material. If you do the assignment exactly as it is assigned, you will receive an average
grade (75%).
D: Below Average work that shows a marginal understanding of the material but also failure to
follow instructions, implement specific recommendations or demonstrate personal effort.
F: Failure to follow instructions for an assignment and lack of demonstration of basic course
material.
COURSE READINGS
Part One: General Context
March 24
Introduction to class
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March 26
March 31
April 2

Lila Abu Lughod (2010). The Active Social Life of "Muslim Women's
Rights": A Plea for Ethnography, Not Polemic, with Cases from Egypt and
Palestine. Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, 6 (1): 1-45

Shadi Hamid (2006). Between Orientalism and Postmodernism: The
Changing Nature of Western Feminist Thought Towards the Middle East.
Hawwa, 4 (1): 76-92.
The Meaning of Social Change

Asef Bayat (2007). A Women’s Non-Movement: What it Means to be a
Woman Activist in an Islamic State. Comparative Studies of South Asia,
Africa and the Middle East, 27 (1): 160-172.

Pinar Ilkkaracan (2002). Women, Sexuality and Social Change in the Middle
East and the Maghreb. Social Research, 69 (3): 753-779.
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Sunny Daly (2010). Young Women as Activists in Contemporary Egypt:
Anxiety, Leadership, and the Next Generation. Journal of Middle East
Women’s Studies, 6 (2): 59-85.

Deniz Kandiyoti (1988). Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender and Society, 2
(3): 274-290.
The Interplay Between Global and Local Contexts

Nayareh Tohidi (2002). The Global-Local Intersection of Feminism in
Muslim Societies: The Cases of Iran and Azerbaijan. Social Research, 69 (3):
851-887.

Hoda Yousef (2011). Malak Hifni Nasif: Negotiations of a Feminist Agenda
Between the European and the Colonial. Journal of Middle East Women’s
Studies, 7 (1): 70-89.

Pinar Ilkkaracan (2008). Introduction: Sexuality as a Contested Political
Domain in the Middle East. In Pinar Ilkkaracan (Ed.). Deconstructing
Sexuality in the Middle East (pp. 1-16). Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing.

Mervat Hatem (2006). In the Eye of the Storm: Islamic Societies and Muslim
Women in Globalization Discourses. Comparative Studies of South Asia,
Africa and the Middle East, 26(1): 22-35.
Historical Context in the Middle East
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April 7

Sarah Graham Brown (2001). Women’s Activism in the Middle East: A
Historical Perspective. In Suad Joseph and Susan Slyomovics (Eds.). Women
and Power in the Middle East (pp. 23-33). Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press.

Pernille Arenfeldt and Nawar Al-Hassan Golley (2012). Mapping Arab
Women's Movements: A Century of Transformations from Within. Oxford
University Press.
Women and Development

Fida J. Adely (2009). Educating Women for Development: The Arab Human
Development Report 2005 and the Problem with Women’s Choices.
International Journal of Middle East Studies, 41: 105-122.

F. Umut Bespinar (2010). Questioning Agency and Empowerment: Women’s
Work-Related Strategies and Social Class in Urban Turkey. Women’s Studies
International Forum, 33: 523-532.

Mervat Hatem (1994). Egyptian Discourses on Gender and Political
Liberalization: Do the Secularist and the Islamist Views Really Differ?
Middle East Journal, (Autumn 1994), pp. 661-676.

Michael Ross (2008). Oil, Islam and Women. American Political Science
Review 102: 107-123.

Valentine Moghadam (2005). Women’s Economic Participation in the Middle
East: What Difference has the Neoliberal Policy Turn Made? Journal of
Middle East Women’s Studies, 1 (1): 110-146.

Marie Duboc, “Where are the Men? Here are the Men and the Women!
Surveillance, Gender and Strikes in Egyptian Textile Factories”, JMEWS:
Journal of Middle East Women Studies 9, 3 (2013), pp. 28-53.
April 9
Film: 678
Part Two:
Feminisms
April 23
Arab Feminism
 Marina Lazreg (2013). Poststructuralist Theory and Women in the Middle
East: Going in Circles. Contemporary Arab Affairs, 6 (1): 74-81.

Kaitham Al-Ghanim (2013). The Intellectual Framework and Theoretical
Limits of Arab Feminist Thought. Contemporary Arab Affairs, 6: 82-90.
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April 28
April 30

Mervat Hatem (2013). What Do Women Want? A Critical Mapping of Future
Directions for Arab Feminisms. Contemporary Arab Affairs 6 (1): 91-101.

Amal Grami (2013). Islamic Feminism: A New Feminist Movement or a
Strategy by Women for Acquiring Rights? Contemporary Arab Affairs, 6:
102-113.
Islamic Feminisms

Valentine Moghadam, “Islamic Feminism and its Discontents: Towards a
Resolution of the Debate” Signs 27, 4: pp. 1135-1171.

Omaima Abou-Bakr, Feminist and Islamic Perspectives: New Horizons of
Knowledge and Reform (Cairo: Women and Memory Forum, 2013):

Margot Badran (2005). Between Secular and Islamic Feminism/s: Reflections
on the Middle East and Beyond. Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, 1
(1): 6-28.

Lila Abu-Lughod (1998). The Marriage of Feminism and Islamism in Egypt:
Selective Repudiation as a Dynamic of Postcolonial Cultural Politics. In Lila
Abu-Lughod (Ed.). Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle
East (pp. 243-269). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Islamic Feminism cont.

Islah Jad (2011). Islamist Women of Hamas: Between Feminism and
Nationalism. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 12 (2): 176-201.

Sherine Hafez (2011). An Islam of Her Own: Reconsidering Religion and
Secularism in Women’s Islamic Movements. New York: New York University
Press, pp. 51-162.

Asma Barlas (2005). Globalizing Equality: Muslim Women Theology and
Feminism. In Elizabeth Fernea (Ed.). On Shifting Grounds, (pp. 91-110). New
York: The Feminist Press.

Margot Badran (2009). Feminism in Islam: Secular and Religious
Convergences. Oneworld. Chapters 6 and 8.
May 5
Film: The Light in Her Eyes
May 7
no class
May 12
Liberal Feminisms
10
May 14

Cathlyn Mariscotti (2008). Gender and Class in the Egyptian Women’s
Movement, 1925-39. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

Nadje Al-Ali (2000). Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East, the
Egyptian Women’s Movements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Rabab Abdel Hadi, “Palestinian Women’s Autonomous Movement:
Emergence, Dynamics and Challenges”, Gender and Society 12, 6: 649-673.

Nadje al-Ali and Nicola Pratt, “The Iraqi Women’s Movement”, Feminist
Review 88 (2008): pp. 74-85.
State Feminisms

Mounira Charrad, States of Women’s Rights: The Making of Postcolonial
Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Mervat Hatem, “In the Shadow of the State: Changing Definitions of Arab
Women’s Developmental Citizenship Rights”, JMEWS: Journal of Middle
East Women’s Studies (Fall 2005).

Mervat Hatem, “Egypt’s Economic and Political Liberalization and the
Decline of State Feminism”, International Journal of Middle East Studies
(May 1992).
Part Three: Women and Collective Action
May 19
Women and Civil Society Organizations

Mariz Tadros (2010). Between the Elusive and the Illusionary: Donors’
Empowerment Agendas in the Middle East Perspective. Comparative Studies
of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 30: 224-237.

Islah Jad (2009). The NGO-isation of Arab Women’s Movement. IDS
Bulletin, 35 (4): 34-42.

R. T. Antoun (2000) Civil Society, Tribal Process, and Change in Jordan: An
Anthropological View, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 32: 441463

Lubna Al-Kazi (2011). Women and Non-Governmental Organization in
Kuwait: A Platform for Human Resource Development and Social Change.
Human Resource Development International, 14 (2): 167-181.
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
May 21
D. Singerman (2005). Restoring the Family to Civil Society. Lessons from
Egypt, Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies 2 (1):1-32
A Public Sphere for Women

Amelie Le Renard (forthcoming). Women’s Movements and Non-Movements
in Saudi Arabia Transgressing Rules or Claiming Rights? Journal of Middle
East Women’s Studies.

Fatima Sadiqi and Moha Ennaji (2006). The Feminization of Public Space:
Women’s Activism, the Family Law, and Social Change in Morocco. Journal
of Middle East Women’s Studies, 2 (2): 86-114.

Stacey Philbrick Yadav (2010). Segmented Publics and Islamist Women in
Yemen: Rethinking Space and Activism. Journal of Middle East Women’s
Studies, 6 (2): 1-30.

Suad Joseph (1997). The Public/Private: The Imagined Boundary in the
Imagined Nation/State/Community: The Lebanese Case. Feminist Review, 57:
73-92.

L. Abu-Lughod (2005). On and Off Camera in Egyptian Soap Operas:
Women. Television, and the Public Sphere. In F. Nouraie-Simone (ed.) On
Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Area (pp. 17-35). NY: the
Feminist Press.
May 21
Film: Kalam Nawaem
May 26
Women’s Counterpublics

Loubna Skalli (2006). Communicating Gender in the Public Sphere: Women
and Information Technologies in the MENA. Journal of Middle East
Women’s Studies, 2 (2): 35-59.

Dina Matar (2007). Heya TV: A Feminist Counterpublic for Arab Women?
Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 23 (3): 513524.

Hoda Elsadda (2010). Arab Women Bloggers: The Emergence of Literary
Counterpublics. Middle East Journal of Culture and Communications, 3: 312332.

F. Mernissi (2005). The Satellite, the Prince, and Scheherazade: Women as
Communicators in Digital Islam. In Fereshteh Nouraie-Simone (ed.) On
12
Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Era (pp. 3-16). New York:
Feminist Press.
May 28
The Arab Uprisings

Dina Shehata, “Youth Movements and the 25 January Revolution”, in Arab
Spring in Egypt (pp. 105-124).

Vickie Langohr, “This is Our Square”: Fighting Sexual Assault at Cairo
Protests”, Middle East Report, 268 (Fall 2013), pp. 18-26.
Paul Amar, “Middle East Masculinity Studies: Discourses of “Men in Crisis”
Industries of Gender in Revolutions”, JMEWS: Journal of Middle East
Women Studies 7, 3 (Fall 2011): 36-70.


Hania Sholkamy, “Women Are Also Part of this Revolution”, Arab Spring in
Egypt (pp. 153 174).

Mervat Hatem, “Gender and Revolution in Egypt”, Middle East Report, no.
261 (Winter 2011), pp. 36-41.

Diane Singerman, “Youth, Gender and Dignity in the Egyptian Uprising”,
JMEW:Journal of Middle East Women Studies 9, 3 (2013), pp. 1-27.

Mervat Hatem, “Gender and Counterrevolution in Egypt”, Middle East
Report, no. (Winter 2013), pp.
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