Doctoral Dissertation Research: Muslim Women in Senegal: Identities in a Changing World

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Since the 1980's, increasing numbers of residents in Dakar, Senegal are adhering to conservative religious values advocated by reformist Muslim groups. Whereas many feminist scholars assert that such trends diminish women's rights throughout the Muslim world, others contend that these women exercise self-determination and articulate nationalist discourses through conservative practices. However, neither view addresses the hybrid identities Muslim women create to incorporate tradition and modernity in their practical lives. The proposed doctoral dissertation research will examine this hybridity, and explore how women construct discourses about gender roles in an urban Muslim society. The study will examine the questions: (1) Do Dakar women in reformist Muslim groups develop views on gender roles which build a feminist discourse, or do they retrench patriarchal values? (2) How do these women's discourses differ from those of women in more established Muslim organizations? The project will entail a series of focus group interviews with members of both populations and, participant observations at their religious meetings. Also, it will examine how the women's religious affiliations, ages, education levels, and economic and employment statuses impact their choice of organization, as well as their gender discourses. This demographic component will be supplemented with a quantitative survey. Results will shed light on how women construct gender roles in rapidly changing social environments.