When

Thu, Apr. 24, 2014
8 am - 5:30 pm
(GMT-05:00) America/Chicago

Where

James A. Baker III Hall

Rice University’s Baker Institute will host its first International Conference on Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East on April 24, 2014. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is undergoing a major transformation not only at the political level but also — and most importantly — on societal and ideological levels. This conference aims to ignite discussion about the roles of Arab women in the political, economic and private spheres, and to shed light on the evolution of these roles over the past few decades. A cross-disciplinary dialogue, guided by leading scholars and policymakers in the field, will investigate topics ranging from citizenship to domestic violence across the region. The conference will provide practical and specific policy prescriptions guided by a balanced, multifaceted perspective on gender relations in the Middle East.

 

To view the full program and participants' bios, click here.

 

Agenda

8:00 am     
Registration and Breakfast
9:00 am     
Welcoming Remarks

Marwa Shalaby, Ph.D.
Director, Women and Human Rights in the Middle East Program, Baker Institute

 9:15 am     
Keynote Address

Valentine Moghadam, Ph.D.
Director, International Affairs Program, and Professor of Sociology, Northeastern University 

9:30 am     
Break
10:00 am     
Panel I — Islamic Law and Gender Equality 

Moderator: Rita Stephan, Ph.D., Georgetown University

Gail Buttorff, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Kansas; and Contributing Scholar, Women and Human Rights in the Middle East Program, Baker Institute 

Amira Sonbol, Ph.D.
Professor of History, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar

Ayesha Chaudhry, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Gender Studies, University of British Columbia

Noon     
Lunch 
 1:15 pm     
Panel II — Agency and Women's Empowerment

Moderator: Marwa Shalaby, Ph.D., Baker Institute

Bozena Welborne, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Reno; and Contributing Scholar, Women and Human Rights in the Middle East Program, Baker Institute

Alessandra L. González, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, James Madison Program, Department of Politics, Princeton University

Lindsay J. Benstead, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Political Science, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University

 3:00 pm     
Break
 3:15 pm    
Panel III — Societal Change Post-Arab Spring

Moderator: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D., Baker Institute

Dina Kiwan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor; Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies; American University of Beirut

Valentine M. Moghadam, Ph.D.
Director, International Affairs Program, and Professor of Sociology, Northeastern University

Wanda Krause, Ph.D.
Former Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Gulf Studies Program, Qatar University

 

 

 

 

To view the full conference, please click on the links to the videos below:

Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Evolving Roles of Women in the Arab World 1

Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Evolving Roles of Women in the Arab World 2

Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Evolving Roles of Women in the Arab World 3

Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Evolving Roles of Women in the Arab World 4

 

When

Thu, Apr. 24, 2014
8 am - 5:30 pm
(GMT-05:00) America/Chicago

Where

James A. Baker III Hall