Gender, secularities and religiosities in knowledge production, activism and everyday life

During the last two decades, religious practices and belongings have gained increased visibility on a global scale. The concept of secularity, as well as the relationship between secularity and religion, have become object of intense interdisciplinary and international debates. While the secular and the religious have previously had a marginalized position within the academic field of gender studies, we can now observe a growing interest for religion and spirituality within academic and activist feminisms. Within this frame panelists will elaborate on multi-perspective (post-)secularity research and theorization in a number of case studies. In particular, they will explore intersections of feminisms and religions through digital spaces explored by feminist podcasters as well as re-contestation of secularism in Turkey. Furthermore, they will elaborate on 'religion and the private sphere' and the importance of gender to understanding the role and place of religion in Europe as well as “Islam” as a religio-racial formation in Western countries and how women who lose Islamic faith/become secular are unable to escape issues of race & racism. Our panelists will, moreover, present findings on the increasing interest of the global north in occultist and spiritual movements (such as mysticism and spiritualism) previously experienced a marginalization and neglect in society and culture and discuss how Ultra-orthodox Jewish activists battle sexual violence and raise the secular banner of “breaking the silence” while simultaneously appearing unable to disconnect themselves from religious language ideologies and examine the emergence of a revolutionary and novel feminist movement within Israel’s Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) community. Taken together, this event provides a space to collectively reflect upon and develop interdisciplinary conversations on the intricate and simultaneous dynamics of secularity, religiosity and gender, and advancing new approaches to explore them.