Seminar – Women’s Conversion to Islam and the Politics of Belonging
Women’s conversion to Islam is a hot topic. Within a political context that perceives both Islam and women as important boundary markers between ‘us’ and ‘them’ the female convert is presented as the ultimate other. Often women’s involvement in religious movements is seen as a sign of mere female superstition, irrationalism, fanaticism, or the result of a false consciousness and their perceived submission to male supremacy is often poorly understood. In this seminar the participants explore new developments in the field of the study of conversion and focus on how women themselves are active agents in constructing a coherent self, a gendered Muslim identity and in creating sense of belonging while mainting a relationship with non-Muslims.