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