Middle East? - Questioning Feminism, Identity, Politics

 with Inna Michaeli, Setareh Sadjadi, Lana Sirri, Rüzgar Gözüm

The feminist knowledge and experience we bring from different places can be of great value to feminist, queer and anti-racist organizing in Germany. How much do we really know about legacies, struggles and forms of organizing in other places? In this discussion panel we wish to share our experience, learn from each other, and mobilize our collective knowledges for future action.
 
One Million Signatures for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws in Iran: This campaign also known as Change for Equality, is/was a campaign by women in Iran to collect one million signatures in support of changing discriminatory laws against women in their country. Activists of the movement have been attacked and jailed by the government. Setareh will talk about her experience in this campaign, the empowerment, organizational structure, failures and the outcome.
 
In Istanbul, it's an old myth that feminism is a "women's only" movement. However, feminism had to be reclaimed and redefined over and over by Trans* individuals during this constant struggle, alongside being one of the homes of empowerment and political existence for them. 
Rüzgâr will give an overview of his experience from Istanbul about trans* views on feminism - feminist views on trans*.
 
Lana will present diversity in Islamic feminist discourses, one dealing with the question of  (Muslim) women’s rights as a struggle of identity in post-colonial Arab countries, while the second  challenges  ‘’secular-liberal’’ principles as aim of resistance and argues for Human Flourishing beyond Western values of freedom and autonomy.
 
How do feminists and feminist groups deal with power relations in the Israeli colonial context? Inna will share concrete practices and lessons on challenging feminism on the points of colonialism, racism and transphobia from the 18th Feminist Conference in Nazareth in 2008.

September 7, 2013

17.15 – 18:45 Uhr

Großer Saal 1

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