International Workshop “Women’s Knowledge Production in Qur’anic Exegesis”

Date: November 10-11, 2024
Venue: Humboldt University of Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Organizer: Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology, Chair of Islamic Textual Studies (Qur’an and Hadith)

The contribution of women to theological knowledge production in the field of Qur’anic exegesis has historically been marginalized, with few exceptions acknowledged. Previous research on women and gender in Qur’anic studies has predominantly centered on gender configurations in the Qur’an and traditional interpretations. Another extensively discussed area in research involves gender-egalitarian and feminist interpretations of the Qur’an. Despite these efforts, the religious practice of female exegesis, particularly by thinkers and theologians from the Arabic- and Turkish speaking regions, has been insufficiently explored. Many female authors of Qur’anic commentaries in Arabic and Turkish, as well as their contributions, remain unfamiliar to a wider audience.

The workshop “Women’s Knowledge Production in Qur’anic Exegesis” aims to illuminate the often overlooked contributions of women to the field of Qur’anic exegesis. It seeks to delve into the role of women in generating exegetical knowledge, both historically and in contemporary contexts. The focus will be on lesser-known exegetes, exploring their methodological approaches to primary sources and the theoretical discussions they have initiated regarding the accurate interpretation of the Qur’an. The workshop adopts an exploratory approach and serves as the inaugural event in a series of future workshops on female exegesis and hermeneutics at the Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology.

Program

• Day 1:

– Women’s Knowledge Production in Qur’anic Exegesis: Discovering a Marginalized Discourse by Nimet Şeker

– The First Mufassirāt? The Role of Early Muslim Women in Interpreting the Qur’an by Doris Decker

– Exploring Dr. Suhaila Zain al-Abidin’s Exegesis in Saudi Arabia by Lana Sirri

– Contemporary Female Exegesis in Turkey by Hüda Nur Ateş

– When Gender is a Problem in Islamic Theology and Qur’anic Tafsir by Asma Barlas (Keynote)

• Day 2:

– Female Agency in Tafsīr and Qur’an Translation by Johanna Pink

– Sumayya ʿAfīfī: Egyptian Qur’an Translator of Russian Tafsīr al-Muntakhab by Elvira Kulieva

– The Ideological Implications of Laleh Bakhtiar’s Hermeneutics on Qur’anic Exegesis and Translation by Sheam Khan

– Qur’an Copies, and Qur’an Parts Penned by Women by Yasmin Amin

Organizers

• Nimet Şeker
• Hüda Nur Ateş M.A.

More information on: Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology