As KADEM, we successfully concluded the KADEM International Workshop Series III: 19th Century Women Writers in the Muslim World, organized in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, and Tbilisi State University. Over the course of two days, academics from different countries came together to examine the intellectual contributions of nineteenth-century Muslim women writers, their intellectual contributions, their role in social transformation, and their enduring intellectual legacy through an interdisciplinary perspective.
Exploring the Intellectual Legacy of Muslim Women Writers on an International Platform
Held in Istanbul, the workshop brought together scholars from Türkiye as well as Egypt, Iran, India, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, and North Africa. Throughout the two-day program, participants explored the contributions of nineteenth-century Muslim women writers to literature, intellectual thought, education, law, and social transformation from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
The workshop aimed to highlight the knowledge and intellectual production of women throughout history, examine women’s intellectual traditions across different regions from a comparative perspective, and strengthen academic collaboration in this field.
Canan Sarı: “We Aim to Increase the Visibility of Women’s Intellectual Legacy”
In her opening remarks, our Chairwoman of the Board, Attorney Dr. Canan Sarı, emphasized that historiography is not merely a process of recounting the past; it also determines which actors and ideas become visible.
Pointing out that women’s intellectual and scholarly contributions have remained insufficiently visible for many years, Sarı stated that nineteenth-century Muslim women writers represent some of the most significant figures in this intellectual tradition.
She underlined that Muslim women were not merely witnesses to history but active agents in shaping it. By publishing newspapers and journals, authoring books, and contributing ideas on education, law, religious thought, and social transformation, they played a decisive role in the intellectual debates of their time.
Women’s Intellectual Production Examined Through an Interdisciplinary Perspective
Throughout the workshop, participants examined how nineteenth-century reform and modernization movements across the Muslim world shaped women’s intellectual production. Scholars highlighted that Muslim women writers made significant contributions not only to literature but also to education, social reform, the production of religious knowledge, and the shaping of public life.
Presentations also highlighted that although women have historically been active producers of knowledge, their contributions have often been overlooked. Participants emphasized that reassessing this intellectual heritage would not only provide a more comprehensive understanding of the history of women’s thought but also make significant contributions to contemporary academic scholarship.
Building a Shared Academic Platform Connecting Past and Present
The workshop also explored, through examples from different regions, the pioneering women’s rights movements of the nineteenth century, the intellectual traditions shaped through the writings of Muslim women, their critiques of gender, class, and ethnic hierarchies, and their struggles for education and participation in public life.
During the closing session, participants emphasized that the intellectual heritage created by women in the past continues to serve as an important reference point for contemporary academic and social debates. It was noted that interdisciplinary approaches and international academic collaborations provide a common platform for bringing together experiences from different regions. Participants reaffirmed a shared commitment to encouraging new research on the intellectual history of Muslim women and to contributing to a more visible, inclusive, and comprehensive historiography.
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants discussed opportunities for future joint research projects and international academic collaboration, establishing valuable connections that will foster new scholarly partnerships.
As KADEM, we remain committed to highlighting the rich legacy of women’s knowledge, ideas, and intellectual contributions throughout history, supporting women’s studies on international academic platforms, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration.
