Gendered Politics of the Middle East
| Module title | Gendered Politics of the Middle East |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC3127 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Sabiha Allouche (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
Why gendering the Middle East? By applying a gender lens, this module provides a unique perspective to explore the Middle East beyond conventional analytical approaches. The module prioritizes contemporary intersectional feminist and queer thinking and praxis in the Middle East and closely examines the processes by which the private/public lives of women, men and non-normative bodies are gendered. As a result, the module uncovers and remedies Orientalist tropes that reduce gender and sexuality in the Middle East to the “question of the veil” or to homophobic states and societies. Also, and in addition to weaving together anthropological, ethnographic, historical and political texts in its investigation of the politics of gender and sexuality in the region, the module lays the foundations for transnational solidarity work among scholars, students and activists working on/in/from the Middle East. This module is an opportunity to think methodologically about knowledge production and to re-evaluate how certain knowledges and voices become prioritized over others.
No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module offers an overview of the main debates that inform and are informed by the study of gender and sexuality in the Middle East. It is a highly inter-disciplinary module that combines different theoretical and methodological approaches. The module emphasises the tight links between theory and activism whilst stressing the limits of binary analysis.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Identify some of the key social, economic and political contexts that inform and are informed by gender in the Middle East.
- 2. Demonstrate an understanding of gender in the Middle East beyond representational politics, notably the woman question or the practice of veiling
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Evaluate critically the role of the state, religious authorities, donors and further political actors in the construction of discourses on/of gender and sexuality in the Middle East
- 4. Evaluate different theoretical and methodological approaches employed in the study of gender and sexuality in the Middle East
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Write analytically for an academic and non-academic public
- 6. Demonstrate good research and indexing praxis (online and in the library)
- 7. Communicate arguments effectively through written submissions and verbal presentations
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some of the following topics or readings:
- Why Gender and Sexuality? Epistemic Violence and the Middle East
- Pre-modern/Islamicate Sexualities: History as Empowering?
- Gendering the Nation-State: Modernity and the “Woman Question” (Egypt)
- Rethinking the Private/Public Divide: Personal Status Laws (Lebanon / Tunisia/ UAE)
- Queering the Middle East: Queer Theory vs. LGBT analysis (Queer IR)
- Islamic/Queer Feminisms: An Oxymoron? (Iran)
- Gender and Conflict in the Middle East: The Case of Kurdish Militant Women
- Sexuality and Conflict in the Middle East: The Case of Pinkwashing (Israel/Palestine)
- Masculinity and its Paradoxes I: “Live and Die like a Man”
- Masculinity and its Paradoxes II: Gendering the Arab Spring
- Popular Culture as Counter-Narratives? Emerging Scholarship and Future Research
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2hr seminars |
| Guided independent study | 128 | Private study students are expected to read suggested texts and make notes prior to seminar sessions. They are also expected to read widely to complete their coursework assignments. More specifically, students are expected to devote at least: 66 (6 hours per topic/week) hours to directed reading; 6 hours to completing the formative research outline; 42 hours (3 hours/day over two weeks) for completing the essay; 10 hours (2 hours/day over 5 days) for completing opinion pieces. The 4 remaining hours serve as a margin to be adjusted depending on the student in question |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group project (small group of 2-4) | 5-8 Minutes | 1-7 | Written or verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Collection of opinion pieces | 50 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Collection of opinion pieces | Collection of opinion pieces (2000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Edward Said, Orientalism
Meyda Yegenoglu, Colonial Fantasies: Towards a Feminist Reading of Orientalism
Deniz Kandiyoti, Gendering the Middle East
Suad Joseph, Gender and Citizenship in the Middle East
Sofian Merabet, Queer Beirut
Jasbir Puar, Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times
Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject
Lara Deeb, An Enchanted Modern Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon
Farha Ghannam, Live and Die like a Man: Gender Dynamics in Urban Egypt
Asef Bayat, Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East
Dina Singerman, Avenues of Participation: Family, Politics, and Networks in Urban Quarters of Cairo
Nadje Al-Ali, Iraqi Women: Untold Stories From 1948 to the Present
Ruba Salih, Gender in Transnationalism. Home, Longing and Belonging Among Moroccan Migrant Women.
Lila Abu-Lughod, Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East
Afsaneh Najmabadi, Women with Moustaches, Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity
Elizabeth Thompson, Colonial Citizens: Republican Rights, Paternal Privilege, and Gender in French Syria and Lebanon
Dina Georgis, The Better Story: Queer Affects from the Middle East
Meem Collective, Bareed Mista3jil
Fatima Mernissi, Behind the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Muslim Society
Leila Ahmad, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 03/07/2019 |
| Last revision date | 03/07/2019 |
