Florence, 7-8 January 2023
The revolt of Iranian women has turned into a massive challenge to the regime. The issue of women’s rights is not (or no longer) a sectoral issue but is anchored at the heart of democratic protests. The Seminar will thus questions the role of Islam both as an instrument of social and political control and therefore as a secularizing force. Conversely, authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia try to deal with the status of women as a purely sectoral issue, which can be liberalized gradually, without challenging the regime.
We will examine this dual approach: on the one hand reformist/authoritarian, on the other hand democratic/secularizing. What is, finally, at stake is the question of women in the democratic transitions.
