Gender, National Identity and Citizenship

Reflections on the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Feminists have identified the gendered nature of nationalism, state-building, policy-making, and citizenship. In this paper, I focus on the implications of ‘national identity politics’ for women and gender relations in countries of the Middle East and North Africa. I also describe contemporary struggles around women's citizenship in a number of countries in the region. Finally, I reflect on the larger theoretical and political implications, such as the importance of a gender perspective in discussions of nationalism, identity, and citizenship, and the central role of ‘modernizing women’ in the process of democratization and the construction of civil societies in the Middle East.