Valentine M. Moghadam

Transnational Feminist Networks Collective Action in an Era of Globalization

This article seeks to contribute to feminist theorizing, to globalization studies and to theories of social movements by discussing a new organizational form and a new form of womens collective action in an era of globalization: transnational feminist networks (TFNs). The articles empirical section focuses on the origins, objectives and activities of four TFNs, each of which links women across national borders around a common agenda that includes economic, political and foreign policy concerns. It is argued that the womens movement should be understood not only in terms of its local manifestations but as a global phenomenon, characterized by supra-national constituencies, objectives, strategies and organizations. As such it is an integral part of the growing family of global social movements and organizations.

Democratic Reform and the Position of Women in Transitional Economies.

Introduction - gender dynamics of economic and political change - efficiency, equality, and women. Part 1: democratization and women in Central and Eastern Europe women and the politics of transition in Central and Eastern Europe democratization and womens movements in Central and Eastern Europe - concepts of womens rights women in East Germany - from state socialism to capitalist welfare state the transition to democracy in Bulgaria - challenges and risks for women educational attainment, the status of women, and the private school movement in Poland. Part 2 Perestroika and women in the Soviet Union gender and resructuring - the impact of perestroika on Soviet women changes in gender discourses and policies in the former Soviet Union glasnost and the woman question in the mirror of public opinion - attitudes towards women, work and the family comparative study of womens work satisfaction and work commitment - research findings from Estonia, Moscow and Scandinavia. Part 3 Economic reform and womens employment: womens economic status in the restructuring of Eastern Europe the changing economic status of women in the period of transition to a market economy system - the case of Czech and Slovak Republics after 1989 economic reform and women.

Revolution, Religion, and Gender Politics: Iran and Afghanistan Compared

This article compares the trajectory of gender politics and religiopolitics in revolutionary Afghanistan and revolutionary Iran since the late 1970s, and draws attention to the gendered nature of political and cultural projects. Whereas the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan began as a secular regime that sought to extend womens rights, the Islamic Republic of Iran was a religious regime that worked to circumscribe womens roles. In the 1990s, the Islamic Republic of Iran has become less rigid and more secular in its approach to social and economic issues while Afghanistan has become a captive of religious fanaticism. Women have increased their visibility and public participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran; in contrast, women have become all but invisible in Afghanistan. This article explains the divergent and unintended outcomes in terms of tribal patriarchy and underdevelopment in Afghanistan versus Islamic modernism and socioeconomic development in Iran.

GENDER AND REVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION Iran 1979 and East Central Europe 1989

The sociology of revolution has produced a prodigious body of scholarship that is nonetheless deficient in one area: attention to gender in the unfolding of revolutions and in the building of new states. Feminist scholars, however, have been attentive to womens participation in revolutions, the effects of revolutions on gender systems and womens positions, and how gender shapes revolutionary processes, including patterns of mobilization, revolutionary programs, and the policies of revolutionary states. This article discusses the literature on revolutions, presents a theoretical framework for the study of revolutions based on gender outcomes, and examines two cases of revolutionary transformation that conform to what I call the patriarchal model of revolution: Iran in 1979 and the 1989 revolutions in East Central Europe.

What is democracy? Promises and perils of the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring is still unfolding, as is the direction of change, and outcomes may be different for violent and nonviolent uprisings. This article focuses on three early cases of the Arab Spring – Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco – to discuss causes and likely outcomes, gender dynamics, prospects for genuine democratization, and the connection between feminist movements and democratization. A comparative and international perspective highlights similarities and differences across the Arab cases and between the Arab Spring and other ‘democracy waves’.

Female labor force participation and economic adjustment in the MENA region

This paper investigates the relationship between female labor force participation rates and structural adjustment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We put forward a new hypothesis to explain MENAs low female labor force participation rates, and argue that during the oil boom era MENA countries locked themselves into family structures and female socio-economic roles which are not compatible with current economic realities in an era of globalization. We conclude that the socio-economic role of women can be an important missing link in explaining the puzzle of economic adjustment in the MENA region.

Engendering Citizenship, Feminizing Civil Society: The Case of the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract In this paper, I describe how feminists in countries of the Middle East and North Africa are challenging their second-class citizenship largely institutionalized in patriarchal family laws-and are calling for an extension of their civil, political, and social rights. I use the term “feminist” to denote de jureand de factofeminists working to advance womens rights. The paper seeks to make theoretical sense of contemporary rights-based movements and discourses in the region through an application of theories of citizenship. It highlights the role of womens organizations in the regional call for democratization, civil society, and citizenship and it provides an empirical content to the discussion of citizenship, state, and civil society. Data and information are gleaned from a close reading of the literature by and on womens organizations in the region, and from personal observations and interviews.

Patriarchy, the Taleban, and politics of public space in Afghanistan

Abstract This paper analyzes the extreme situation of Afghan women under the Taleban by casting a historical and sociological lens to highlight (a) the patriarchal nature of gender and social relations, deeply embedded in Afghanistans traditional and fragmented ethnic-based society, and (b) the existence of a weak central state, which has been unable to implement modernizing programs and goals in the face of Afghanistans tribal feudalism. A patriarchal social structure and the absence of a centralized and modernizing state, along with the problematical stance of the international (and feminist) community during the critical years of the 1980s and early 1990s, resulted in an extreme form of social exclusion: Afghan women were banned from participation and decision-making, and from the public space itself. The data and analysis are derived from the relevant secondary sources and the authors observations and interviews in Kabul in early 1989.

Working Women: International Perspectives on Labour and Gender Ideology.

1. Women, Work and Skill: Economic Theories and Feminist Perspectives, M. Thea Sinclair 2. Library Work: Gender and the limitations of Dual Labour Market Theory, Maura Luck 3. Images and Goods: Women in Retailing, Adelina Broadbridge 4. Shop Floor Control: The Ideological Construction of Turkish Women Factory Workers, Yildiz Ecevit 5. Prostitution and Tourism in South East Asia, Wendy Lee 6. Return to the Veil: Personal Strategy and Public Participation in Egypt, Homa Hoodfar 7. Women in Struggle: A Case Study in a Kent Mining Community, Avril Leonard 8. Women Shop Stewards in a County Branch of NALGO, Jenny Walton 9. Money and Power: Evaluating Income Generating Projects for Women, Joy Lyon 10. Greek Women and Tourism: Womens Agro-Tourist Co-operatives as an Alternative Form of Organisation, Mary Castelberg-Koulma 11. A Feminist Business in a Capitalist World: Silver Moon Womens Bookshop, Jane Cholmeley.

The reproduction of gender inequality in Muslim societies: A case study of Iran in the 1980s

Abstract Twenty years of feminist scholarship and research on the role of women in development have placed the study of women in the mainstream if not the center of social inquiry. This paper illustrates the salience of gender in social stratification systems. Sociodemographic indicators pertaining to women are examined to investigate the extent of female disadvantage in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Following a review of the data, it is argued that remedial policy is required if Iran is to pursue socioeconomic development and redistributive justice.