What does it mean to think about faith and feminism together? Is there a place for feminism in Abrahamic, patriarchal religions? Conversely, is there space for faith within often secular feminist movements? Does being part of a majoritarian group (Muslims in Malaysia) versus being part of a minoritarian group (Jews in the United States) shape or hinder reformist efforts in any way? historian Karla Goldman and political sociologist Saleena Saleem address these questions as they discuss the changing roles of women in American Judaism and Malaysian Islam throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Join the Frankel Center for this hybrid lecture with Saleena Saleem in conversation with Professor Karla Goldman and moderated by Professor Adi Saleem Bharat. This event is co-sponsored with Asian Languages and Cultures.

This is a hybrid taking place in 2022 South Thayer Building.

Zoom Registration: https://myumi.ch/29GXm

Saleena Saleem is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Liverpool. She is a currently a Visiting Researcher with the Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs, Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Her research interests are on decolonial feminism, ethno-religious politics, and gender in South-east Asia. Saleena holds a Master of Science in Political Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. She has held research positions at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, and at the Centre for Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

Karla Goldman is the Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, and Professor of Judaic Studies, College of LS&A. Her research focuses on the history of the American Jewish experience with special attention to the history of American Jewish communities and the evolving roles and contributions of American Jewish women. She directs the University of Michigan Jewish Communal Leadership Program, a collaborative effort between the School of Social Work and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies.

Adi Saleem Bharat is a scholar of modern and contemporary France. He is an Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. He conducts research and teaches courses on race and religion in contemporary French society, with a particular focus on Jews and Muslims. He is currently working on a manuscript tentatively titled Beyond Jews and Muslims, which examines and challenges the construction of a polarized, oppositional category of “Jewish-Muslim relations” in media and political discourse in contemporary French society.