Abstract
This article argues that people from diverse ideological and ethnic backgrounds conceive, perceive and practise educational leadership differently, drawing upon their beliefs, values and knowledge sources. It draws on data collected by 11 in‐depth interviews with female heads of ‘girls‐only’ colleges in a region in Pakistan. The paper briefly introduces leadership as a concept formulated in context. It presents philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of these conceptualizations from an Islamic perspective as a case, and highlights the interplay between belief systems, educational leadership and gender. The article deliberates as to how these discourses interact to formulate ‘educational leadership’ in Muslim societies, and explores the implications of these constructions for women in educational leadership in a Muslim society.
Highlights
The paper argues that people from diverse ideological and ethnic backgrounds conceive, perceive and practise educational leadership differently, drawing upon their beliefs, values and knowledge sources
With increasing diasporas of communities of diverse cultures, ideologies, and faiths, it becomes highly significant to understand how educational leadership is understood and informed by different cultural and belief systems, and how gender is experienced in educational leadership positions in different societies
This paper draws attention to a knowledge gap in existing literature regarding educational leadership theory and practice as understood and informed by different belief systems - an issue which is foreseen as gaining higher significance with the fast changing population structures across the world
Summary
The paper argues that people from diverse ideological and ethnic backgrounds conceive, perceive and practise educational leadership differently, drawing upon their beliefs, values and knowledge sources. The nature of female leadership role and women leaders experiences are influenced by the situated framework of the social structure and its ideological basis that determine sex roles, organisational practices, and power relations.
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