Roads to Revolution: Building Transnational Feminism Through Lessons from Iran, Tunisia and India

Annual lecture series featuring: Pardis Mahdavi, director and professor, School of Transformation

Summary: We are at a turning point in how we think about feminism, womanhood and resistance. In the U.S., feminism is under attack from the right, the left and from within⁠ — causing American feminists to be "triple bind." Across the atlantic, women are engaging in these same struggles and finding their feat through friendships formed between the threads of activism and similar struggles. Through the narrative of feminist activists in Iran, Tunisia and India, experience the "triple bind" stories of women in West and South Asia. These women are simultaneously fighting the state, their religions and themselves — meanwhile all informed by a patriarchy. Many women struggle with expectations of womanhood, but there is much to learn from the way that women in the Middle East and South Asia engage in feminism. Learn about the inspiring Iran's Green Movement, Tunisia's Arab Spring and the landmark repeal of Section 377 in India to decriminalize homosexuality and how these highlight roles in regards to feminism.

This ethographically informed project is an opportunity for feminists and those interested in women's issues to explore a different kind of feminism, as well as the opportunity to learn about this feminism in the lives of women outside the context of Europe or America, thus creating a truly transnational feminist movement in the wake of #MeToo.

This event is a part of the annual CAIS Lecture Series.