Arab Feminisms (Special Issue of Feminist Theory)

Call for Papers
Special Issue of Feminist Theory Arab Feminisms
Guest Editor: Anastasia Valassopoulos (University ofManchester)

Feminist Theory calls for papers for a special issue on Arab feminisms and Arab feminist theory today. The special issue (to be published in 2010) will speak to transcultural concerns and seeks to make explicit reference to the place of Arab feminism and Arab feminist thought within the broader spectrum of current western and postcolonial feminism.

Essays are invited that will focus on updating the parameters of an Arab feminism, namely, on foregrounding the issues that are today being discussed, theorised and implemented. Taking as a given the complexities inherent in a broad topic such as Arab feminism, where objectives shift continuously, the special issue does not aim to provide a history of Arab feminism, nor to present conclusive statements on its formation but rather, to make visible the rich and constructive work taking place within the field. The issue seeks to focus explicitly on recent endeavours/projects that have focussed on women's lives and cultural production in the Arab world and its Diaspora, understood in explicit feminist terms as well as the constructive theorisation that arises from these very endeavours.

This issue aims to be interdisciplinary in scope and we particularly welcome analyses that originate from a variety of disciplines, including literature, sociology, political science, anthropology, law, Middle Eastern Studies, ethnomusicology, television and media studies, or film studies.

Some questions and topics to consider:

• The women's movement in Palestine and recent developments therein
• Current theorisations of Islamic feminism
• The possibilities and practicalities of a transnational Arab feminism (case studies here will be of particular interest)
• Projects that have as their aim the preservation and distribution of Arab women's narratives
• The representation and negotiation of roles for women in Arab popular culture
• Post-2003 Iraqi women's groups and their work
• Current re-interpretations of established Arab feminist thought

The deadline for submission of articles is 1 September 2008.

Submission guidelines regarding the length and layout of manuscripts are as posted in the journal and available on http://fty.sagepub.com/. Please send an electronic version anastasia.valassopoulos@manchester.ac.uk as well as 6 hard copies to Dr. Anastasia Valassopoulos, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.