Gender and National Identity: Women and Politics in Muslim Societies

by Valentine M. Moghadam (Editor)

Gender politics exist inevitably in all Islamist movements that expect women to assume the burden of a largely male-defined tradition. Even in secular political movements in the Muslim world - notably those anti-colonial national liberation movements where women were actively involved- women have experiences since independence a general reversal of the gains made. This collection, written by women from the countries concerned, explores the gender dynamics of a variety of political movements with very different trajectories to reveal how nationalism, revolution and Islamization are all gendered processes.

The authors explore women's experiences in the Algerian national liberation movement and more recently the fundamentalist FIS; similarly their involvement in the struggle to construct a Bengali national identity and independent Bangladeshi state; the events leading to the overthrow of the Shah and subsequent Islamization of Iran; revolution and civil war in Afghanistan; and the Palestinian Intifada.

This book argues that in periods of rapid political change, women in Muslim societies are in reality central to efforts to construct a national identity.

Genres: Middle East

192 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 1994

About the author

Valentine Moghadam (born 1952) is a feminist scholar, sociologist, activist, and author, whose work focuses on women in development, globalization, feminist networks, and female employment in the Middle East.

She has taught and performed research at various institutions of higher education, most recently as Professor of Sociology and Director of International Affairs at Northeastern University. Previously she held the position of Director of the Women’s Studies Program at Purdue University, where she was also a Professor of Sociology. Prior to that appointment, Moghadam worked for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the chief of gender equality and development.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Zohra Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard reading for third world feminism. I'm not crazy about Moghadam. Her discussion of Afghanistan does not take into consideration the violence that the Communist Regime waged against women in Afghanistan. Instead she highlights empty progress just to fulfill a feminist ideal of what Communism may do for women. But its clear she didn't understand the situation in Afghanistan.

[Pedro Gayoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains several essays written by muslim woman concerning exactly what’s on the cover. Their contributions to the narrative of women in a world that I, being a western reader, have little knowledge of and are actively pressured by broader society to not engage with enjoyed this book quite greatly. All of these authors have enlightened me to a path of knowledge that I want to now pursue. Though this collection was curated in 1994 and is now past 30 years old, the issues presented in their contemporary time are ongoing and remain fresh even in my time of 2026. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may want a marxist slant on history that is extremely relevant to not only current events but to the history of feminism of non-western societies. Societies that have little attention in popular feminism and the medial today.