Islam and Human Rights in the Discourse of Tunisian Feminist Intellectuals and Activists: Olfa Youssef, Amel Grami, and Zahia Jouirou on Advancing Social Justice

Jumana Said Khalil Al Ahmad

Research output: PhD ThesisPhD-Thesis - Research and graduation internal

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Abstract

This Ph.D. dissertation aims to depict the development of discourses on the relationship between Islam and human rights in Tunisia. It analyses case studies of how some Tunisian scholars and activists handle the apparent incompatibility between human rights and the traditional and conservative understanding of religion. Tunisia showcases a vibrant debate on human rights amongst Islamists, Islamic thinkers, populists, seculars, and secularists. In particular, this research explores a new wave of emerging Tunisian feminist activism and scholarship for social justice and human rights from within the Tunisian school of thought in Arab Islamic civilization. It focuses on the works and activities of three Tunisian female scholars of Arab-Islamic civilization and gender studies Amel Grami (b.1962) and Zahia Jouirou (b.1960), as well as a scholar of Arabic semantics and media figure Olfa Youssef (b. 1966), who engage with the Islamic tradition to find contemporary solutions to what they perceive as stagnation and social injustice. It asks how Muslim Tunisian feminist scholars and activists use Islamic sources and writings combined with modern methods and references to human rights in order to advance gender equality and social justice. The thesis examines not only their achievements but also their pitfalls. The dissertation consists of two parts. In the first chapter, it introduces the development of human rights in Arab countries and sheds light on the concept of justice and ethical imperatives from the Islamic tradition. The second chapter explores reasons for the rich tradition of progressive human rights and Islamic thought in Tunisia. Despite some legal achievements in Tunisia, impediments to respecting human rights related to gender equality remain significant. The second part examines the stances of several Tunisian intellectuals in their scholarship and activism. Three following chapters focus on the endeavors of the above-mentioned three Tunisian women scholars who seek to establish individual rights and gender equality by looking at their roots in Islam, analyzing the impact of patriarchy, and deconstructing some jurists’ and interpreters’ works. These academics belong to the first generation of modern women scholars of Islamic civilization and graduates of modern higher educational institutions in Tunisia. Through their knowledge production, teaching, and activism, they have induced academic and grassroots mobilization. This study of Islam and human rights examines the intersection of culture and law, following critical research in cultural studies, discourse analysis, philosophy, and cultural sociology of contemporary Islam. I utilize an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on religious and cultural studies, sociology, philosophy, and intellectual and social history. Deep cultural transformation has taken place in Tunisia, fostering evolution and innovation in the thinking of Tunisian feminist scholars and the questions that they raise. The dissertation first sets the emergence of this wave in a historical and sociological context and a theoretical framework. Then, it examines these scholars’ various epistemological assumptions and engagements with classical and modern texts to find just solutions to current social issues and challenges. The thesis aspires to engage in a critique of their assumptions and discourses, while striving to find convergence, common grounds, and divergence in their understanding of justice, human rights, and Islam. It shows how women’s contemporary Islamic thought regarding social justice and gender equality has evolved over the past two decades. Through constructive analysis, the thesis seeks to advance the framework of these researchers from deconstruction toward reconstruction, so as to discuss their broader societal, ethical, and political implications.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationPhD
Awarding Institution
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Supervisors/Advisors
  • van Doorn-Harder, Pieternella, Supervisor
  • Ellethy, Yaser, Co-supervisor
Award date24 May 2022
Publication statusPublished - 24 May 2022

Keywords

  • Islamic Feminism, Human Rights, Social Justice, Tunisian Academics and Feminists, Amel Grami, Zahia Jouirou, Olfa Youssef, Gender Equality, the Tunisian School of Thought in Arab Islamic Civilization.

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