Feminism, Islam, and Psychoanalysis—A psychoanalytic case study

Abstract

The ambiguity of the terms feminism and Islam does not allow for a fixed standpoint. The most emancipatory forms of feminism might be incompatible with Islam, whilst other forms of feminism such as the liberal reformist position can be combined with it. This article relates empirical material to the broader debate of the Muslim-feminist movement that might act as a nodal point for future challenges and developments as it questions widespread interpretations of the Qur'ān. The material gained via psychoanalytic interview was subjected to an analysis, situating the text within the tradition of Freudian psychoanalytic theory as well as within the tradition of the grand dame of German psychoanalytic feminism, Margarete Mitscherlich. The analysis of a case study of a queer person, furthermore, traces the way in which women make sense of Islamic tradition back to the time in which the Orient was open to same-sex practices. In this way the case study will enhance our understanding of how the three concepts, feminism, psychoanalysis, and Islamic tradition intersect with one another and how each of the traditions can learn from the others. Since there is an enormous gap in research concerning this intersection, this text aims to open up a space where a queer reading of psychoanalysis, a queer reading of the Qur'ān, and a psychoanalytic reading of Islamic tradition become possible.