Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Bayat, Asef.
A Women's Non-Movement: What It Means to Be a Woman Activist in an Islamic State
Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East - Volume 27, Number 1, 2007, pp. 160-172

Duke University Press

Asef Bayat - A Women's Non-Movement: What It Means to Be a Woman Activist in an Islamic State - Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 27:1 Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 27.1 (2007) 160-172 Muse Search Journals This Journal Contents A Women's Non-Movement: What It Means to Be a Woman Activist in an Islamic State Asef Bayat Feminists have long argued that probably all modern states possess, albeit in different degrees, patriarchal tendencies. But patriarchy figures especially prominently in those authoritarian regimes and movements that exhibit conservative religious (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, or Hindu) dispositions. Indeed, patriarchy is entrenched in religious authoritarian polity. It is known that in many authoritarian Muslim states, such as Egypt, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, or the Islamic Republic of Iran, where conservative Islamic laws are in place, women have turned into second-class citizens in many domains of public life. Consequently, a central question for women's rights activists is how to achieve gender equality under such circumstances. A common strategy proposed consists of organizing strong women's movements to fight for equal rights. Movements are usually perceived in terms of collective activities of a large number of women organized under strong leaderships, with effective networks of solidarities, procedures of membership, mechanisms of framing, and communication and publicity --...