Shiʿi Islamism and Gender in Iraq: The Life and Work of Bint al-Huda in the Memory and Agenda of Shiʿi Women’s Activism in Iraq

This dissertation investigates contemporary Shi‘i women’s religious and political activism in Iraq through the enduring legacy of Amina al-Sadr (known as Bint al-Huda), one of the most prominent female socio-political figures of the 20th century. The study explores how a diverse spectrum of women operating within contemporary Iraqi political, educational, and religious spheres utilize Bint al-Huda’s intellectual and written heritage to negotiate their current roles. By examining the organizational and biographical dimensions of this mobilization, the research analyzes how major Islamic political movements and women's organizations navigate, compete for, and appropriate her legacy in the post-2003 socio-political landscape.

Methodologically, this project relies on a qualitative approach rooted in oral histories, drawing from extensive in-depth interviews with Bint al-Huda’s contemporaries, students (Talabat Bint al-Huda), and active political figures, alongside participant observation and quantitative questionnaires. The research systematically maps the historical and contemporary evolution of women's hawzah (theological seminaries) and religious learning networks, tracing their development from private domestic gatherings to formal public institutions. Ultimately, by analyzing these shifting paradigms of gender and religious mobilization, this study contributes unique firsthand empirical data to the broader academic discourses on Shiʿi Islamism, knowledge production, and women's activism in the modern Middle East.