Political Opportunities for Islamist Women in Morocco and Egypt: Structure or Agency?

Abstract

This chapter asks how do political opportunity structures (POS)—i.e., political openings for and obstructions against organizing—shape Islamist women’s political participation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)? The chapter examines particularly how the political dynamics and alliances shape Islamist women’s political participation in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Morocco’s Justice and Development Party (JDP) and address the marginalization of Islamist women in the study of state–society politics. It also explores how Islamist women’s political organizing and framing strategies, in turn, reshape these political opportunities. To address how Islamist women respond to the changes in the POS, the chapter looks at the mobilizing mediums women utilize and their framing strategies in different political contexts. By applying mobilization and framing perspectives, the author sheds light on how the activities of Islamist women impact political elites’ backing for the movement’s agendas.