The study of women and gender in the Middle East and North Africa beyond culturalism

Abstract

The study of the Middle East and North Africa region has long been dominated by culturalist assumptions that this region is unique and thus common concepts and theories that are applied to other parts of the world do not apply here. This has particularly been the case with regard to the study of women and gender. This special issue brings together six cutting edge research articles that fundamentally challenge this culturalist assumption by making connections with disciplinary theories and concepts. By focusing on the three themes of political economy, institutions, and social movements, these articles demonstrate variation across both time and place with respect to gender and politics in the region and at the same time make important contributions to the broader literatures on these subjects.