While the Arab Uprisings presented new opportunities for the empowerment of women, the sidelining of women remains a constant risk in the post-revolutionist MENA countries. Changes in the position of women are crucial to the reconfiguration of state-society relations and to the discussions between Islamist and secular trends. Theoretically framed and based on new empirical data, this edited volume explores women¿s activism and political representation as well as discursive changes, with a particular focus on secular and Islamic feminism, and changes in popular opinions on women¿s position in society. While the contributors express optimistic as well as more pessimistic views for the future, they agree that this is a period of uncertainty for women in the region, and that support by ruling elites towards women¿s rights remains ambiguous and double-edged.

Explores dynamics of gender and democratization in the MENA region

1. Introduction: The Arab Uprisings and the Rights of Women (Drude DAHLERUP and Hanane DARHOUR).- Part I: Women's Rights, Feminism and Islamism.- 2. The Center: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Women's Rights in Pre- and Post-Arab Spring North Africa (Fatima SADIQI).- 3. Whose Gender Equality? On the Boundaries of Islam and Feminism in the MENA Region (Ilyass BOUZGHAIA).- Part II: Post-Spring Dynamics and Feminist Norm Diffusion.- 4. Cultural Change in North Africa: the Interaction Effect of Women's Empowerment and Democratization (Ginger FEATHER).- 5. Changing Tides? On How Popular Support for Feminism increased after the Arab Spring (Saskia GLAS and Niels SPIERINGS).- Part III: Women's Activism and the Reconfigured State.- 6. Women's Activism in North Africa in Post Arab Spring (Moha ENNAJI).- 7. Political Opportunities for Islamist Women in Morocco and Egypt (Anwar MHAJNE).- 8. Contrasting Women's Rights in the Maghreb and the Middle East Constitutions (Aili Mari TRIPP).- Part IV: Empowered or Sidelined? On Women's Political Representation and Influence.- 9. Examining Female Membership and Leadership of Legislative Committees in Jordan (Marwa SHALABY and Laila ELIMAM).- 10. Empowering young women? Gender and youth quotas in Tunisia (Jana BELSCHNER).- 11. Whose Empowerment? Gender Quota Reform Mechanisms and De-democratization in Morocco (Hanane DARHOUR).