My current obsession with feminist science fiction led me to brilliant reviews of Vandana Singh’s The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet at both The F-Word and Ultrabrown. In my earlier post on Islam and feminism in SF I mentioned a few times about how the genre is used to critique some grand narratives… Continue reading Weekend round-up of favourite online reads 11/1
Category: Feminism
Notes on Islam and feminism in science fiction
I’ve been reading a lot about feminist science fiction lately, mostly of out fascination for its philosophical what-ifs and fantastic plots and situations. And as a casual reader of the genre rather than a fan, I am intrigued by the questions raised by feminist science fiction writers about culture and heteronormativity (guest contributor Gareth shares… Continue reading Notes on Islam and feminism in science fiction
Book review: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
By special guest contributor, Gareth: A few months ago, Alicia asked me why science fiction was such a boy thing and what is the point of the genre. I cobbled together an answer about science fiction being used to create a narrative space removed from the here and now into which pertinent questions and ideas… Continue reading Book review: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Understanding anti-feminism in Malaysia and where it comes from
Okay. This is going to be a super-biased piece from the get-go. I feel the need to write about this because I am TIRED of trying to talk to people about what feminism really is about. There is just so much misunderstanding and lack of information out there in the real world. Feminism is, as… Continue reading Understanding anti-feminism in Malaysia and where it comes from
Book review: Contrary Visions – Women and Work in Malay Novels Written by Women by Christine Campbell
Despite the clunky title, Contrary Visions (2004, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) offers a rather comprehensive review of novels by Malay women written between 1940 and 1995, including a couple of early Indonesian novels thrown in for good, hazy archipelagoan measure. Alongside Virginia Hooker’s Writing a New Society: Social Change Through the Novel in Malay (2000),… Continue reading Book review: Contrary Visions – Women and Work in Malay Novels Written by Women by Christine Campbell
For Muslim women, the personal is political
The recent fatwa on assumed female homosexuality has opened another can of worms. Yet again, the Malaysian religious authorities insist on tightening their grip on Muslim women by policing the way they dress, and who they choose to love, without fully understanding the complex nature of human sexuality. Meanwhile, a worrying proportion of the Malaysian… Continue reading For Muslim women, the personal is political
Reinforcing stereotypes through romance – Mills and Boon style
I have never read a Mills and Boon novel in my entire life, and am proud of it. I can go as far as to say that touching them might soil my hands. Even during my girls school days – a time to channel all that naughty hormones into sleazy paperbacks, I hardly knew about… Continue reading Reinforcing stereotypes through romance – Mills and Boon style
I know I'm not supermodel material, but please objectify me too! aka my feminist rage against naked calendars
A few nights ago I sat down in a brainstorming session with a group of very eager female Oxford undergrads where we talked about the next Ladyfest Oxford programme next May and about who was going to organise what. You might be pleased to know that yours truly has volunteered to organise a workshop on… Continue reading I know I'm not supermodel material, but please objectify me too! aka my feminist rage against naked calendars
What is Islamic feminism?
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what Islamic feminism is for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Many who aren’t Muslim are quick to label Islam as a repressive religion especially to its womankind, and so essentially any kind of feminism a Muslim espouses can’t be real feminism. Many Muslims, however, don’t see the… Continue reading What is Islamic feminism?
It's a great time to be a feminist and a Muslim
Originally featured on the BBC today: Some of the world’s leading Islamic feminists have been gathered in Barcelona for the third International Congress on Islamic Feminism, to discuss the issues women face in the Muslim world. Some of the women taking part in the conference explained the problems in their home countries, and where they… Continue reading It's a great time to be a feminist and a Muslim
Alicia Izharuddin 