CURA Colloquium "Speaking for Zaynab: Constructions of Femininity in Shi'i Online English-Language Majalis"

with Nicole Correri, PhD Student, Islamic Studies, Graduate Program in Religion This research examines constructions of femininity in Shī'ī online English-language majālis, with a focus on the socio-historical function of the religious ritual of the majālis and the gendered dynamics of its online evolution. The ritual space of the majālis has long been a central and powerful locus of Shī'ī spiritual aspirations and ideals, as well as a central site of religious gender standards and norms. This new digital ritual space and its hybrid format (both live and recorded event) offer places to explore gender ideals and anxieties in novel ways, as well as ways in which gender inclusion and exclusion in religious space operates in the digital world. The paper also explores the use of the hagiography of Zaynab bint ‘Alī, a key saintly figure in Shi‘ism and granddaughter of Muhammad, and how she is deployed to construct the ideal female in contemporary online English language majālis. I also critically investigate the appropriation of the female voice of Zaynab, where predominantly male ritual reciters and Shī‘ī clergy recount the tragedies of Karbala to honor and lament the heroes who represent selfless devotion and courage in the face of oppression and hardship using the voice of Zaynab. While this ideal female figure is revered and honored by both men and women, she also serves as a way for the male religious leaders to deploy and authenticate a particular articulation of an ideal female figure in their male authoritative voices. The majālis also convey ethical directives through the rituals of remembrance; the reciters are instructing the audience via powerful images, prescriptive messages, and moral injunctions to imitate the saints by cultivating an idealized self. Zaynab’s leadership and powerful position during the events of Karbala, while valuable as a pious source of imitation, are described by the male reciters as exceptional by the nature of the tragedy and they attempt to curtail that power by cultivating an idealized femininity that is comprised of self-sacrificing, chastity, and piety. Co-sponsored with the School of Theology *Reading the paper in advance of the session is required. Email arleneb@bu.edu for your copy.