It is impossible to understand Israeli feminism if not in light of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. How was the Israeli feminist agenda formed along historical events? What are the tensions and trajectories that characterise the development of feminist movements in Israel? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this talk. Five related dilemmas and various resolving strategies will conclude the talk demonstrating some of the impact of women's activity on Israeli social and political life.

Speaker

Professor Kalev is a reader in politics. She is based at the Ben Gurion University, where she founded the Gender Studies Program. Her main research interests are in political theory and in gender and politics. She is the co-author of Palestinian Activism in Israel: A Bedouin Woman Leader in a Changing Middle East; Gender Sex, Politics and the co-editor of A-Mitiot (A-Mythical): Gender in Jewish Sources; and Women in the Negev. She has also published articles in academic and refereed journals. Henriette Dahan Kalev is a frequent contributor to newspapers and a commentator in the media on topics related to human rights, women, gender, and political affairs in Israel.

The Women’s Rights Research Seminars at Oxford was founded in 2009 with the initial aim of directing interdisciplinary scholarly attention to the legal status of women in Iran. Since then, the research group has broadened its purview to the rights of women in the Middle East, covering topics such as the politics of fertility, women in ethnic minorities, and the treatment of women in states governed and influenced by Islamic law and jurisprudence. WRRS welcomes seminar and paper proposals from any discipline. Enquiries: Binesh Hass