Arab and Arab American Feminisms

Featured Speaker: Professor Amira Jarmakani

This interactive talk will give a broad synopsis of Arab American feminisms, what challenges they face, and how they are related to, and draw inspiration from various forms of Arab feminisms. The lecture will discuss orientalism and the ways that orientalist stereotypes, themselves shaped by colonialism and imperialism, negatively impact struggles for gender justice. It will also discuss why Palestine is a feminist issue.

Presenter Biography

Amira Jarmakani is Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and affiliated faculty with the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies and LGBTQ+ studies at San Diego State University. She received her Ph.D. from Emery University. She has written several books, most recently, An Imperialist Love Story: Desert Romances and the War on Terror (NYU Press 2015), exploring the crucial role of desire in understanding how the war on terror works and how it perseveres. She has served as president of the Arab American Studies Association (2018- 2022), board member for the Association of Middle East Women’s Studies (2017-2019) and Assistant Editor for the Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures (2011-2013). She is an organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition and a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective.

Coordinator: Kamesh Gupta