Archive for calls, May 2012

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[ecrea] cfp: The Women’s Question(s) and the Arab Uprisings for Panel for next year's ISA conference, San Francisco (due May 21)

Thu May 10 11:19:37 GMT 2012


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*Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco*

*The School of Humanities and Social Sciences*

*_Call for Papers_*

*_The Women’s Question(s) and the Arab Uprisings_**__*

*_A Panel at the 54^th Annual Meeting of _*

*The International Studies Association*

*_San Francisco, CA, April 3-6, 2013_***

* *Women in North Africa and the Middle East differ considerably in terms of religion, ethnicity, education and political, social and economic opportunities and yet they occupy a shared geographic region that in the past two years has undergone profound political upheaval. The achievement of women during these transformations was most symbolically represented when Tawakkul Karman received the Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership role in Yemen’s peaceful protests against the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime. Meanwhile, Bothayna Kamel became the first female presidential candidate in Egypt and we continue to witness the courageous protest of millions of women alongside men in North Africa and the Middle East. Throughout the region women have fought together with men in their demands for dignity, human rights and participation in the process of transitional change. A major component leading to the uprisings in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya is women’s unremitting calls for democratic change: these continue to sound in Syria and Bahrain. However, many commentators now question the likely outcomes of these uprisings for the lives of women. While throughout the region women were at the forefront of the revolutions, they are now systematically occluded from participation in political transition and equality for women continues to be in jeopardy. As women’s rights advocates, lawyers and activists seek to ban discriminatory laws, they warn that a backward slide for women may be imminent without consistent political struggle.

In the wake of these revolutions, questions surface as to whether the Arab Uprisings will really bring about significant change for all citizens. This panel addresses the varied and emerging questions regarding the gendered implications of the Arab Uprisings and women’s participation in revolutionary change and post revolutionary political and civic life. On the other hand, a positive consequence of the Uprisings is that debates about women have resurfaced from within the region and women are demanding to be taken seriously. While some assert that the Uprisings have advanced women’s rights and political representation, others portend that ‘an ocean of misogyny’ in the region undermines any real advance for women. In what seems to be an impasse of representation, the plight of many in the region is expressed through the voices and experiences of women: women in North Africa and the Middle East are speaking for themselves.

Was the Arab Spring a shifting moment in the struggle for women’s rights in North Africa and the Middle East? What role –or roles- did women play in the revolts and revolution in North Africa and the Middle East? Does this revolutionary era offer promise for advancing women’s rights in the constitution of new political configurations? Will the achievements made by women in the past two years provide enduring incentive for women to take a significant place in the transitional reforms? Can transitional governments overcome divisional categories to distribute equitable reforms for all citizens?

Abstracts and CVs of paper presenters should be sent to Nizar Messari, at

(n.messari /at/ aui.ma)

by or before May 21, 2012


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