Feminist Thought of The Middle East *Online* *NEW*

This course introduces key voices in Middle Eastern feminist thought from the early twentieth century to the present through readings from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iran. We will explore how women intellectuals, writers, and philosophers have challenged social and religious norms, reinterpreted sacred texts, and theorized liberation in the face of colonialism, patriarchy, and modernity. Through close reading and discussion of literary, philosophical, political texts, we will consider how these thinkers respond to conditions specific to their histories yet deeply connected to global feminist concerns. Themes include the intersection of feminism and faith, the colonial encounter, sexual politics, legal reform, and the intellectual labor of women in constructing ethical and political agency. The course invites thoughtful, open discussion grounded in close engagement with the texts rather than survey or advocacy. Together, we will trace how ideas of gender, justice, and autonomy have been argued, resisted, and reimagined across Middle Eastern intellectual history, and how they speak to universal dimensions of women's experience.

Instructor: Sendus Majanni