Feminist Associations Under Authoritarianism in Tunisia

There is consensus among scholars that Tunisian women’s rights and status are the most advanced in the Muslim countries of the Arab world. This can be ascribed in part to fundamental reforms to Islamic family law implemented under the leadership of President Habib Bourguiba in the 1950s during Tunisia’s first postcolonial government, but we also need to pay attention to developments since then. Much has happened in the half a century since those reforms propelled Tunisia to the forefront of the Arab world with regard to women’s rights. We suggest that two associations have been among the pillars of civil society in Tunisia and have played a key role in keeping alive a feminist, secularist discourse in favor of women’s rights in the last several decades: the Association Tunisienne des Femmes Democrates (ATFD) and the Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche et le Developpement (AFTURD).

ATFD and AFTURD remained vigilant and have made demands for greater rights in family law since their creation in 1989 through the authoritarian regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during the 2010–11 Jasmine Revolution of the Arab Spring. The two associations represented key elements in a tense relationship between the state and civil society under authoritarianism. Facing repression and intermittent silencing, they managed nevertheless to keep the feminist discourse alive. They also have been present in the public sphere and have influenced the national discourse, relentlessly defending greater gender equity in the last few years since the Jasmine Revolution. They have worked hand in hand for decades and continue to do so today.

We conducted in-depth interviews with their leaders during the summer 2016 and asked them about the associations’ histories. We appreciated the depth of their engagement and the pride they felt for having been the only women’s associations to defend secularism and women’s rights during authoritarian regimes.

Association Tunisienne des Femmes Democrates (ATFD): Feminist and Activist

ATFD is the only secular feminist association with an explicit political focus that predates the Arab Spring and continues to function today. It has been the political arm of the secular feminist movement. Although small in terms of paying membership, historically ranging from 150 to 200 members, the association has been a major voice in Tunisian politics, with access to the media, the government and national and international organizations. Its mission and work are based on the principles of international human rights conventions and global notions of women’s rights. The association does not officially endorse any political party, but its members define their work as political. Its founders strongly believed in the separation of religion and state.

The mission of ATFD is to combat patriarchy and to work to eliminate all gender-based forms of discrimination and violence in Tunisian society. It also aims to develop a secular feminist discourse that calls for freedom, democracy and social equality. ATFD’s specific goals include: 1) eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women in every field and space; 2) defending all existing women’s rights and fighting to reform all laws pertaining to gender equality; 3) changing the population’s views on patriarchy; and 4) increasing women’s participation in public and political life.

Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche et le Developpement (AFTURD): Feminist and Research-focused 

AFTURD is the research wing of the secular feminist movement in Tunisia that predated the Arab Spring. Officially established as an autonomous association in 1989 (the same year ATFD was founded), AFTURD is deemed apolitical and research focused. It brings together women researchers and academics to promote a constructive and critical academic discourse and dialogue on women’s economic, cultural, social and political status and participation in Tunisia. AFTURD has four main objectives: 1) to promote research on women’s emancipation and integration in development projects; 2) to encourage women to participate in the design and implementation of projects; 3) to develop exchanges and communication networks among women in Tunisia, the Maghreb, the Arab world, African countries and the international community; and 4) to emphasize women’s roles in history and enhance their roles in society.

AFTURD’s researchers include professionals in education, journalism, engineering, medicine and law. AFTURD has published studies and surveys on gender equality, divorce, feminism, violence against women, women’s rights, inheritance, citizenship and citizenship rights, work, migration in Tunisia and the Maghreb and sexual harassment, along with professionalization studies on housekeepers and how college graduates can secure employment. The association’s current focus is a major study on inheritance law and reform. Reflecting the long collaboration between ATFD and AFTURD, the study is being used by ATFD and lawmakers to mobilize the population and push policies that increase women’s inheritance rights.

Conclusion

Without ATFD and AFTURD, the fate of women’s rights and secular feminism in Tunisia might have been different, as the two associations have been a significant feminist presence from the late 1980s to the present. Today, they operate in a new social and political space. Following a process of democratization ushered in by the Jasmine Revolution, the new political landscape includes many new women’s associations with a variety of ideologies and objectives, ranging from conservative Islamists to moderate Islamists and secularists. ATFD and AFTURD are now redefining their agendas and writing the next chapter of their history.

Mounira M. Charrad is an associate professor in sociology and Middle East Studies at The University of Texas at Austin and a nonresident fellow for the Women’s Rights in the Middle East Program at the Baker Institute. Her research has addressed women’s rights, law, citizenship, state formation, colonialism and patrimonialism.

Maro Youssef is a graduate student in sociology at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research addresses gender politics, democracy and the state in the Middle East and North Africa.

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