 | Palestinian Women’s Activism: Nationalism, Secularism, Islamism Subjects: Women Palestinian Arab -- Political activity -- West Bank; Women Palestinian Arab -- Political activity -- Gaza Strip; Feminism -- West Bank; Feminism -- Gaza Strip; Non-governmental organizations -- West Bank; Non-governmental organizations -- Gaza Str; Jad traces the transformation of the Palestinian women's movement from the 1930s to the post-Oslo period and through the Second Intifada to examine the often-fraught relationship between women and nationalism in Palestine. Offering one of the first intensive studies of Islamist women's activism, Jad also explores the impact of emerging feminist NGOs in depoliticizing the secular Palestinian women's movement. Studying these two developments together illuminates the nature of women's engagement in the Palestinian space, challenging myths of gender roles' "immutability" under Islam and the supposed "modernizing" benefits of Western-style activism. Islah Jad is associate professor in the Cultural Studies Department and the Institute for Women's Studies at Birzeit University in Palestine. |
