Between Islam and Feminism: New Political Transformations and Movements in Morocco

Abstract

In short, this study identifies the various ways secular feminist groups have shaped the politics of protest of Islamist women and vice versa. This turn in the discussion is related to my definition of women as agents articulating competing definitions and agendas about key issues such as democracy, citizenship, women's rights and religion. Thus, this study is not a mere addition to the existing case studies on the women's movement in the Middle East. It is rather an innovative approach that challenges the static view, based on the opposition between feminism and Islamism, with a more dynamic view that looks at interdependencies, relationships and exchanges between these movements. Furthermore, by locating these dynamics in the changing historical conjunctures of the 1980s to 2003, my study also identifies the interpenetrations among these movements and their environments---state, political parties, law, and media.