On, Wednesday, September 12,  begins a 4-day first-of-its-kind
conference called Engaging Islam: Feminisms, Religiosities and
Self-Determinations on UMass Boston. Funded by a Ford Foundation grant, the
conference features 10 internationally acclaimed keynote speakers and 20
competitively selected panel presenters.
A dominant image in the West about Islam is of a force particularly
oppressive to women. Engaging Islam: Feminisms, Religiosities and
Self-Determinations uses feminist analysis to challenge this view and to ask
new questions that help us to understand Islam in the diverse ways it is
interpreted, lived, and practised. The institute's focus on feminisms leads
us to ask how women are participating and intervening in the realms of law,
religion, family, economics, and institutions of civil society.
The event is free and open to the public, and it will bring great visibility
to UMass Boston. All sessions will be held at the Alumni Room in the Campus
Center.

Full details are available at
www.engagingislam.umb.edu

http://www.engagingislam.umb.edu/speakers/index.html

Conference Organizers:
Rajini Srikanth (English/Asian American Studies/Honors Program), Leila
Farsakh (Political Science), and Elora Chowdhury (Women's Studies/Asian
American Studies)