Resisting occupation and authoritarianism Iraqi feminist movements after the U.S. invasion .

摘要

After the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Iraqi women were among the first to organize into political and humanitarian organizations. Officials from the United States government and Coalition Provisional Authority announced that Iraqi women were "free" and "liberated," but media reports, scholarship, and statements from Iraqi women suggest that women's rights have not been fully realized. Rather than portray Iraqi women as victims of occupation or patriarchal traditions, this paper uses social movement theory to examine how Iraqi women have organized to work greater rights. Relying primarily on statements from Iraqi women, this thesis distinguishes between two separate feminist movements in Iraq: liberal feminism and Islamic feminism. Though these are not meant rigid categories, they constitute two separate movements that define women's rights differently and engage is different kinds of activities in to push for these rights.;The paper begins by examining how the liberal feminist movement has responded to the agendas of the United States government and international NGOs in Iraq. While various organizations within the movement differ in their stance on the presence of U.S. troops or on whether to accept foreign funding, they come together as part of a unified feminist movement that engages in the claim-making and displays of worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment that define a social movement. This is also clear in the way the liberal feminist movement deals with the Iraqi government. Various organizations came together to mount a unified campaign for changes to the constitution and greater political power for women.;In addition to a liberal feminist movement, Iraq also has an emerging Islamic feminist movement that distinguishes itself by its effort to reinterpret Islamic law and frame women's rights as part of proper adherence to Islam. This movement frames women's rights and political events differently than the liberal feminist movement, and engages in different kinds of displays of worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment. In addition to differentiating between Islamic and liberal feminist movements, this paper also differentiates between Islamic feminists and the Islamist members of political parties who use Islamic law to oppress women rather than reinterpreting it to argue for greater rights for women. Finally, the paper concludes by examining the future of feminist movements in Iraqi in light of the Arab Spring, the withdrawal of U.S. troops, and the increasingly authoritarian Iraqi government.