The “secular vs. religious” binary – women’s rights and knowledge production

An interview with Rabab El Mahdi

The binary of secular vs. religious is shaping a lot of discussions, especially when it comes to women’s rights. Rabab El Mahdi gives an insight to her work and activism as well as her perspective on women’s rights in the MENA region and Latin America. She discusses the neocolonial, orientalist and Eurocentric perspectives on women, that shape the current scientific and public discourse. She also reflects on the current academic knowledge production answering the following question: who is producing knowledge about what/whom and why?

Rabab El Mahdi is an associate professor of political science at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Her main research interests are comparative political economy and development with a focus on Latin America and Middle East and North Africa, as well as state-civil society relations, social movements and resistance. She is currently leading the AUC’s Alternative Policy Solutions (APS) research project. She serves on the boards of a number of civil society and professional organizations including the Arab Political Science Network (APSN).

Musik: Ghaliaa – La7za Knit your own scarf – Nadie Sabe (CC BY-NC-ND) Knit your own scarf – Ajedrez (CC BY-NC-ND) Mona Haydar – Hijabi (Wrap my Hijab) Knit your own scarf – Agur (CC BY-NC-ND) Youssoupha Sidibe – Salaam (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)

Sprache: Englisch

Sendungsgestaltung: Amina El-Gamal

Fotocredit: Amina El-Gamal