2009 Programs And Events
U.S. Scholar Holds Talks on Women’s Issues and Religion (07/01/2009)
A top U.S. scholar toured Uzbekistan in June, leading discussions on topics such as women’s issues and religious diversity in America.
Dr. Philippa Strum is a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, one of the leading institutions in the U.S. for scholarship on issues related to history, political science and international relations. The Center acts as a bridge between research scholars and the government officials who formulate U.S. policies.
Strum, who holds advanced degrees from Harvard University and The New School in New York, has written nine books and edited many others, many of them with a focus on U.S. constitutional law, women’s rights and the experiences of American Muslims. She has lectured in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and in the former Soviet Union.
In Uzbekistan, Strum toured the Ferghana Valley, Bukhara and Samarkand. In Tashkent, she met with Islamic leaders, spoke about women’s issues with students and teachers from the Social Work Department of the Institute of Culture, met informally with members of the Women’s Club Concorde at the Tashkent Hokimiyat (city administration), and led several discussions on religious diversity and women’s issues.
“I have learned so much: a great deal about the history of Uzbekistan; a great deal about the women of Uzbekistan, and particularly the important role that women play in the cultural and intellectual life of Uzbekistan,” Strum said. In meeting many professional women, Strum said she was struck by how similar the challenges are for U.S. and Uzbek women to balance their professional and family lives.
In talks with students, scholars and journalists, Strum spoke about religious diversity and the experience of Muslims in the United States. She showed that the number of Muslims and mosques have risen dramatically since 1965, when U.S. immigration laws were changed to allow more immigration from a wider range of nations. Today, the up to seven million Muslims in the U.S. report higher incomes and education than the American average, she showed.
She also showed that most mosques in America are run by boards made up of its members – as opposed to being sponsored by the government or by a wealthy patron – and that women sit on a majority of these boards.
“Muslims in each country interpret Islam for themselves,” she said. “American Muslims are fashioning an American Islam to integrate the realities of life in the U.S. with their faith.”
Strum was the director of U.S. Studies at the Wilson International Center for Scholars at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. She said she knew that life could become more difficult for American Muslims in the wake of the attacks, so she actively sought out Muslim scholars to build relationships with U.S. policymakers. Her scholarly works about Muslim-American communities grew out of that impetus, she said.
Strum’s visit was sponsored by the U.S. State Department through its Speaker and Specialist Program, which arranges for experts on important topics to speak with audiences in countries around the world. The program seeks to promote understanding of the U.S., its people and its foreign policies, while giving the experts greater insight into the nations they visit.