‘Queer ethnography’ is booming and making a difference in research on religious communities and institutions. One important significance I hope to see more of is the challenge to the homosecularism of queer studies; that is, the assumption that non-heterosexuality cannot be compatible and integrated with religious identity. I have a few commentaries on this score… Continue reading Comments on new directions in queer ethnography in religious contexts
Category: Gender Studies
On the surpassing of feminism
Back in 2014, I went with my then-partner to a women’s bookshop in Wigtown, a small town in Scotland. I’ve written a blog post about it (to which the successive owner responded). What fascinated me the most about the bookshop was its collection of feminist books and journals stored in the backroom. There were just… Continue reading On the surpassing of feminism
Queer Muslim subjectivity: a short commentary
Below is a pre-published version of a commentary I was invited to write for Current Anthropology: One of the bees that inhabit uneasily in every anthropologist’s bonnet is the question of representation. Viola Thimm’s article, ‘Queer Muslim Subjectivity: LGBTQIA+ identity in Malaysia between transnational self-awareness, pilgrimage politics and Islamic repression’ [in Current Anthropology], is perhaps… Continue reading Queer Muslim subjectivity: a short commentary
‘Gender ideology extremism’
It’s funny how minds with a mission to dominate and repress think alike. They repeat the same words (‘gender ideology’) and target the same vulnerable groups (transgender women) in the name of ‘protecting’ women and even women’s rights. In one of the many executive orders issued within the first one hundred days of Trump’s second… Continue reading ‘Gender ideology extremism’
Dark days ahead for gender
After the truly woeful ruling by the UK’s supreme court last week – that only ‘biological’ women can be legally classified as women – I needed to pause all my work and better understand what is going on. For years, I was aware of an offshoot of British feminism who call themselves ‘gender critical’ campaigners… Continue reading Dark days ahead for gender
New publications 2024
Earlier this year, after more than a year of online tutorials and mentoring with leading film scholars of video-graphic production funded by an AHRC project led by Alison Peirse, I was proud to see my first ever video essay published in MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture. It is part of a Special Issue edited by… Continue reading New publications 2024
‘Between laughter and silence’
Part of the joy of being in the business of teaching and learning is that the learning never quite ends, and if you’re lucky, you get masterclasses from with some of the greatest minds in the business. I was incredibly privileged to attend a personal tutorial session with Professor Catherine Grant recently to work on… Continue reading ‘Between laughter and silence’
My talk at IIAS, 30th March 2022: From the factory floor to the page
I will be giving a short talk on my current project on modern Malay print romance at Leiden University on 30th March 2022 via Zoom. For more info on registration, click here. About the talk: What is the significance of place and space in the print culture of Malay romance? My presentation demonstrates how print… Continue reading My talk at IIAS, 30th March 2022: From the factory floor to the page
Bandar Baru Bangi field notes
The following was published in the latest issue of BERITA [Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei Studies Group Association for Asian Studies] 48 (1) (2022): On my revisit to Bandar Baru Bangi (New Town of Bangi) in August 2021, I spent hours exploring the town with my assistant behind the wheel. We were also there to see Mrs Hamidah again,… Continue reading Bandar Baru Bangi field notes
Book talk: Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization
I will be discussing Professor Rosalind Galt’s new book, The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization (Columbia University Press, 2021) in a book talk organised by The Asian Cinema Research Lab at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, on 28th January 2022.
Alicia Izharuddin 