Crossing Borders: Women, Gender and Islam in Italian Scholarship

Abstract

This article reviews the most relevant scientific works published in Italian in the field of gender, women and Islam. It classifies the research into three groups: scholarship on Islamic family law and on comparative religious law; scholarship on feminist movements, including research on secular and Islamic feminism; and scholarship on the rights of women and sexual minorities in Islamicate contexts. The article argues that there is a tradition of gender studies and Islam in Italian since the 1970s that should be integrated into the international scenario. However, until now this research has mostly focused on women: it is probably time to open the field to sexuality and masculinity studies also