Muslim women on the labor market: between religion and secularism
23/02/2010
Prof. dr. Mustafa Özbilgin (University of East Anglia, VK), a leading scholar on diversity will give a speech on
“Muslim women on the labor market: between religion and secularism”
Muslim women have a precarious position on labor markets. This position is often related to a conservative Islamic culture hindering their employment. Prof. dr. Mustafa Özbilgin challenges this view.
In his lecture, prof. dr. Mustafa Özbilgin discusses the difficult struggle for equal opportunities in Muslim majority countries. His research shows that neither institutional contexts dominated by the Islamic shariah nor those dominated by secularism represent favorable environments for gender equality. Indeed, both secularism and the shariah hijack gender equality agendas paying only partial lip service to demands for equality. He will illustrate his analysis through the cases of Turkey and Pakistan and discuss the implications of his findings for western countries with Muslim minorities such as Belgium.
Mustafa Özbilgin is professor of human resource management at the University of East Anglia since 2007. He is the founding director of DECERe (Diversity and Equality in Careers and Employment Research), a transdisciplinary centre for research with an international annual conference, fifteen members within the university and forty international associates. His work has been published in important international scientific journals. He is a frequent speaker on diversity at many international fora.
A panel of politicians, administrators, and scholars will react to the lecture and reflect on the position of Muslim women in Flemish society and in employment
The event will be closed by a drink.
The Faculty of Business Economics and the “Ronde tafels van de Interculturaliteit” sponsor the event. Participation is free but on-line registration before February 16 is required
www.uhasselt.be/sein/lectures
Plaats en tijdstip
Hasselt University
Agoralaan
3590
Diepenbeek (building D)
17.00-19.00
