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Proseminar 53152: Religion, politics and gender equality

Instructor: Anne Jenichen (anne.jenichen@hu-berlin.de)

Thursdays, 12 am – 2 pm, Room 001 (Universitätsstr. 3b)

Syllabus

15.04. Introduction

22.04. The contested predictions of secularization theories and the global resurgence of

religion

Basic reading

- Jonathan Fox, 2008: A World Survey of Religion and the State, Cambridge (Chapter 2);

- Timothy Samuel Shah and Monica Duffy Toft, 2006: Why God is Winning. In: Foreign Policy, 155, 38-

43.

29.04. Public Religions: Religion and the state, political parties, and civil society

Basic reading

José Casanova, 1994: Public Religions in the Modern World, Chicago (Chapter 2);

Further reading

- Jonathan Fox, 2006: World Separation of Religion and State Into the 21st Century. In: Comparative

Political Studies, 39(5), 537-569;

- Payam Mohseni and Clyde Wilcox, 2009: Religion and political parties. In:Jeffrey Haynes, ed.:

Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics, 211-230.

- Antonin Wagner, 2008: Religion and Civil Society: A Critical Reappraisal of America‟s Civic

Engagement Debate. In: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37(4), 626-645.

06.05. Religious fundamentalisms and feminist interpretations

Basic reading

Jeffrey Haynes, 2009: Religious fundamentalisms. In: Jeffrey Haynes, ed.: Routledge Handbook of

Religion and Politics, 159-173.

Further reading

- awid, 2008a: Shared insights: Women‟s rights activists define religious fundamentalisms;

- awid, 2008b: Ten myths about religious fundamentalisms.

13.05. Ascension (holiday)

20.05. Religion, politics and gender equality in less and more developed states

Basic reading

- Emma Tomalin, 2007: Gender Studies Approaches to the Relationships between Religion and

Development, Working Paper No. 8., Religions and Development Research Programme Consortium;

- Gila Stopler, 2005: The liberal bind: The conflict between women‟s rights and patriarchal religion in

the liberal state. In: Social theory and practice, 31(2), 191-231.

27.05. Identity politics and Personal Status Law in India and Israel

Basic reading

- Zoya Hasan, forthcoming 2010: Gender, Religion, and Democratic Politics in India. In: Third World

Quarterly, 31(6);

- Ruth Halperin-Kaddari and Yacoov Yadgar, forthcoming 2010: Between Universal Feminism and

Particular Nationalism: Politics, Religion and Gender (In)Equality in Israel. In: Third World Quarterly,

31(6).

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03.06. The headscarf debates in Western Europe

Basic reading

Sevgli Kilic, Sawitri Saharso and Birgit Sauer, 2008: Introduction: The Veil: Debating Citizenship,

Gender and Religious Diversity. In: Social Politics, 15(4), 397-410.

Possible further reading

on Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, and Turkey; recent debates in France (newspaper articles)

10.06. Is multiculturalism bad for women?

Basic reading

- Susan Moller Okin, 1997: Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? In: Boston Review, October/November

1997;

- Anne Phillips, 2001: Multiculturalism, Universalism and the Claims of Democracy, UNRISD

Programme Paper No. 7, Geneva.

17.06. Religion: ally or threat? Is Islam compatible with gender equality?

Basic reading

- Anne Phillips, 2009: Religion: Ally, Threat or Just Religion? In: UNRISD Programme Paper No. 5,

Geneva, 35-58;

- Niels Spierings, Jeroen Smits and Mieke Verloo, 2009: On the Compatibility of Islam and Gender

Equality. Effects of Modernization, State Islamization, and Democracy on Women‟s Labor Market

Participation in 45 Muslim Countries. In: Social Indicators Research, 90, 503-522.

24.06. Religious feminists

Basic reading

Valentine M. Moghadam, 2002: Islamic Feminism and Its Discontents: Toward a Resolution of the

Debate. In: Signs, 27(4), 1135-1171.

Further reading

Websites of religious feminist groups such as “Sisters in Islam” (Malaysia), “Catholics for Choice”

(USA and global), “Kolech” (Israel)…

01.07.(s.t.) Female religious fundamentalists (this session starts at 12am sharp and

Movie: Jesus Camp ends at 2pm sharp!!!)

Suggested reading (optional)

- Sarah Bracke, 2003: Author(iz)ing Agency. Feminist Scholars Making Sense of Women‟s Involvement in

Religious „Fundamentalist‟ Movements. In: European Journal of Women‟s Studies, 10(3), 335-346;

- Sally K. Gallagher, 2008: Evangelicals, Invested Individualism and Gender. In: Advancing Gender

Research from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries, Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 12, 149-

171.

- Elizabeth Bernstein and Janet R. Jakobsen, forthcoming 2010: Sex, Secularism, and Religious Influence

in U.S. Politics. In: Third World Quarterly, 31(6).

- Conrad Hackett and D. Michael Lindsay, 2008: Measuring Evangelicalism: Consequences of Different

Operationalization Strategies. In: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 47(3), 499-514.

08.07. Religious terrorism: Female suicide bombers

Basic reading

- Claudia Brunner, 2005: Female Suicide Bombers – Male Suicide Bombing? Looking for Gender in

Reporting the Suicide Bombings of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In: Global Society, 19(1), 29-48;

Further reading

- Jessica Stern, 2003: Terror in the Name of God. Why Religious Militants Kill, New York (Introduction

and Conclusions);

- Mia Bloom, 2007: Female suicide bombers: a global trend. In: Daedalus, 136(1), 94-102.

- various newspaper articles

15.07. Concluding discussion, evaluation