Islamic feminism in Tunisia’s political transition: advances and setbacks.

Abstract

This essay seeks to investigate the evidence of advances in women’s rights in Tunisia in its post-Arab Spring (2010 – 2014), through the analytical categories of Islamic Feminism and Postcolonialism. Due to the political and social upheaval reflected in the popular manifestations calling for greater freedoms, and showing a gap between the rights guaranteed by the constitutional text existing at the time, it is hypothesized that this opportunity would have been seized by the women in Tunisia, which their fight is now symbolized in the 2014 constitution. Therefore, the constitutional stretches of 1959 and 2014 are observed, and the reflexes of gender truggles are evaluated. It is concluded that women were successful in their struggle, at least in the sense that their rights and duties were guaranteed in the new constitution. Furthermore, it was inferred, from their gains, the confirmation that Islamic feminism should not be understood from the Western perspective, since each movement has its own particular demands.