Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject / Women’s Rights and Islamic Family Law: Perspectives on Reform

Abstract

Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist SubjectAs interest continues to grow in what is occasionally called the global resurgence of religion, the importance of understanding and explaining the Islamic revival (al-sahwa al-islamiyya) has never been greater. Indeed, no longer the exclusive domain of scholars, students, and policymakers working in and around the Islamic world, the politics and practices of Islamism are now, suddenly,issues that matter to all. It is in this connection that Saba Mahmood’s Politics of Piety has already proved to stand as one of the most meaningful contributions to the field of Islamic studies over the past five years, with striking resonance across such disciplines as cultural anthropology, women’s studies, religion, and critical philosophy. Women’s Rights and Islamic Family Law: Perspectives on ReformRecently, Islam in general, and Islamic family law in particular, have been the object of much interest and research. The particular focus on family law is justified not only by the importance of families, the building blocks that constitute society and mold individuals, but also by the fact that Islamic family law is often the most resistant to change, as it is the hardest to disentangle from religious authority.