Reves Center for International Studies Events
[PAST EVENT] An Iranian Seminarian Woman Navigating Conservatism and Secularism
Access & Features
- Open to the public
W&M Anthropology Presents Guest Lecturer
Dr. Amina Tawasil
Brown Bag Series
Amina Tawasil of Columbia University will give a lecture discussing the narrative of a young woman in Iran and the interplay of religious conservatism and secularism having a role in self worth and belongingness.
This presentation is a part of a chapter of a forthcoming book (2024) about howzevi or seminarian women who use their Islamic education to do the work of supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran. These women are historically caricatured as puppets of the Islamic Republic.
Based on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Tehran, Amina Tawasil completed this narrative by demonstrating how a young seminarian woman navigated between religious conservatism and secularism in extracurricular English Class. Tawasil tells the story of nineteen-year-old Zaynab and her challenges, goals and general experiences as a woman in a religiously conservative and secular leaning environment. The presentation will further explain the interplay of self worth, human actions, and belongingness in relation to Zaynab and the women around her.
Sponsored by: Anthropology