Anthropology

Women's History Month: Nadje Al-Ali

As a scholar in feminist activism and gendered mobilization in the Middle East, Nadje Al-Ali discusses what Women's History Month means to her and her research.

"Women's History Month celebrates women's contributions to history, culture, society and politics. It has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. Globally, many countries celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, which was established in the beginning of the 20th century by women demanding better working conditions alongside the right to vote.

As a feminist scholar working on the Middle East, I have been particularly interested to document how women’s struggles for greater gender-based equalities and against gender-based violence intersect with the struggles against political authoritarianism, corruption, sectarianism and militarism. This year, my thoughts and my academic commitments are closely tied to the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (March 19th, 2023). I have been writing about and will be giving talks this month about the various ways the invasion and occupation negatively affected women and gender relations, but also show women’s resourcefulness and resilience despite lawlessness, chaos and widespread violence."

Explore the upcoming talks:

March 8th at 12pm EST: Iraqi Women Speak: Promoting Women, Peace, and Security

March 16th at 7pm GMT: Iraq 20 Years On — Iraqi Voices, with Nadje Al-Ali and Maysoon Pachachi

March 29th-31st: Iraq Twenty Years after the U.S. Invasion: Memory Politics, Governance and Protests (Keynote at GIGA in Hamburg, Germany)