Muslim Women in the 21st Century: Agency, Influence, and Lived Experience

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to invite submissions from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds to explore the theme of “Muslim women in the 21st century: agency, influence, and lived experience”. We believe it is crucial to recognize the multifaceted and variegated nature of contemporary Muslim women’s life-worlds, and we invite you to contribute to this important conversation.

Muslim women are often portrayed monolithically in popular as well as political discourse. Even the academe has, at times, been dominated by an Orientalist gaze that exoticises the “Muslim woman” to use miriam cooke’s neologism. This special edition aims to challenge this homogenizing discourse by featuring a range of diverse voices and perspectives.

Eager to move beyond the dichotomy of the pitiably oppressed or apologetically elevated Muslim woman, this special edition explores the lived realities of Muslim women in majority or minority contexts, and the intersection of faith, culture, and agency (or lack thereof) that Muslim women negotiate in myriad ways. Possible themes include, but are not limited to, the experiences of Muslim women in education and the workplace; women’s leadership roles in business, community, faith, politics and more; negotiating religious and cultural expectations—be it in national, ethnic, faith, or family contexts; Muslim women’s spirituality; contending with patriarchal interpretations of sharia and fiqh in either majority or minority contexts; addressing stereotypes, discrimination and Islamophobia; issues for Muslim women of colour within the ummah; and the complexity around hybrid and transnational identities.

We are committed to publishing an edition that amplifies the voices of Muslim women and showcases the richness and complexity of their experiences. Research paper submissions from the humanities and social sciences, law, medicine, education, economics, business, technology, and beyond are invited, and submissions from all regions are welcome. We look forward to reading your submissions and building a diverse and inclusive collection.

Dr. Susan Carland
Dr. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor
Dr. Rachel Woodlock
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.