Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Many in the West regard feminism and Islam as a contradiction in terms. However, this is a grave misconception as Margot Badran illustrates in this career-spanning collection of influential essays. Born of over three decades of work, Feminism in Islam traces the history and interaction of both secular and Islamic feminisms in Muslim societies since the nineteenth century.

Written by one of the world's foremost experts on the subject, this landmark volume is informed by numerous interviews, letters, and memoirs of Muslim women, both historical and current. Combining both original and previously published contributions, Badran paints an engaging portrait of feminism in the Islamic world, its achievements to date, and the challenges it will face in years to come." (Book Cover)

CONTENTS

Part I. Egypt: Late Nineteenth to End of the Twentieth Centuries: First Century of Feminism

1. Competing Agenda: Feminists, Islam, and the State in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Egypt

2. Women, Qasim Amin, and the Rise of Feminist Discourse

3. From Consciousness to Activism: Feminist Politics in Early Twentieth-Century Egypt

4. Expressing Feminism and Nationalism in Autobiography: the Memoirs of an Egyptian Educator

5. Independent Women: More Than a Century of Feminism in Egypt

6. Gender Activism: Feminists and Islamists in Egypt

7. Body Politic(s): Women, Power, and Sexuality in Egypt

8. Gender Journeys into Arabic

Part II. Muslim World: Late Twentieth to Twenty-First Centuries: Widening Circles, New Directions

9. Towards Islamic Feminisms: a Look at the Middle East

10. Islamic Feminism: What's in a Name?

11. Unifying Women: Feminist Pasts and Presents in Yemen

12. Shar'ia Activism in Nigeria in the Era of Hudud

13. Between Secular and Islamic Feminism(s): Reflections on the Middle East and Beyond

14. Islamic Feminism on the Move