Sufi Feminism

A matrilineal Sufi shaykh in Sri Lanka

This article explores the influence of local concepts of matrilineal kinship and descent through women in the construction of a modern Sufi silsila (an authorized ‘chain’ of spiritual and genealogical ancestry) in Sri Lanka. Makkattar Vappa, a popular Sufi shaykh in the Tamil-speaking eastern region of the island, asserts hereditary maulana (sayyid) status as a member of the Prophet’s household...

Has Feminism Changed Physics?

Looking for Feminism

In a recent talk given at a North American University, a prominent feminist scholar from the United States observed that the contributions of Black women in mass political movements have been given short shrift in both conventional male-centred narratives of revolutionary movements (such as the Black Power movement in the USA), and mainstream feminist accounts of women’s activism, because inter...

Feminism and Psychology

Starting in the 1960s, feminists argued that the discipline of psychology had neglected the study of women and gender and misrepresented women in its research and theories. Feminists also posed many questions worthy of being addressed by psychological science. This call for research preceded the emergence of a new and influential body of research on gender and women that grew especially rapidly...

From Marxism to Feminism