Challenging stereotypical understandings of gender roles in Muslim societies, this course will highlight the multiple and changing constructs of these roles and identities both historically and in contemporary contexts.

We will consider the entanglements of colonial, national and transnational projects and movements at different historical moments, which have shaped and coerced roles and expectations for Muslim men and women. Specific case studies will allow us to identify and assess socio-economic, religious, and political circumstances that inform gender roles and relations.

We will explore a range of topics, such as dress and adornment, marriage, divorce and child rearing – across geographies from the Middle East to North America– to shed light on the wider contestations and negotiations of gender roles and expectations.

The course will explore the complex ways in which religion can be used both to restrict women’s roles and to serve as a tool for empowerment and independence. We will look at ways that Muslim women and men have transgressed, reproduced and challenged gender hierarchies by engaging in scholarship, activism and the creative arts. The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, film and group discussions.