Negotiating muslim feminist identities in secular Europe: A critical review of Vanja Mosbach’s voices of muslim feminists

Abstract

Background: This paper presents a critical review of the dissertation Voices of Muslim Feminists Navigating Tradition, Authority and the Debate about Islam by Vanja Mosbach, defended at Uppsala University in 2022. The dissertation examines how Muslim women in Sweden and the Øresund region, who identify as Muslim feminists, negotiate religious identity, religious authority, and their commitment to gender equality within the context of European secularism. Methods: This review applies a critical academic assessment focusing on methodological validity, the coherence of the theoretical framework, and the adequacy of empirical representation in Mosbach’s work. Through a reflective qualitative approach and an analysis grounded in the theory of religious individualization, Mosbach constructs a complex understanding of Muslim feminism as a form of agency that transcends traditional-modern or Islam-secular dichotomies. Findings: The analysis highlights the dissertation’s contributions to the study of Islamic feminism and the sociology of religion, while identifying key strengths and potential weaknesses in its methodological and theoretical approaches. It also situates Mosbach’s work within a broader intellectual landscape, particularly in relation to the discourse on Muslim feminism in the Global South, to assess the relevance and transferability of its findings to other contexts, including Indonesia. Conclusion: Overall, the dissertation demonstrates that Muslim women’s religious agency and feminist expressions in Europe can only be fully understood through an inclusive, interdisciplinary approach that bridges lived experience, social theory, and Islamic epistemology. Novelty/Originality of this article: The paper offers an original contribution by linking Mosbach’s analysis to Global South perspectives, thereby expanding the discussion on the adaptability and applicability of Muslim feminist frameworks beyond European contexts.