Research
My PhD thesis was about secular Muslim women activists' attempts to counter-story their lives in the face of prevailing discourses and dominant narratives, that are unhelpful or even harmful. It was also an examination of the challenges and complexities of such discursive work. Some of my current work synthesises and extends insights brought forth through the chapters of my PhD thesis, others continue to support discursive resistance and the circulation of alternative visions and voices. And the rest are an inspiration of my job as an educator and my positionality as a woman of colour academic in predominantly white spaces. My cheif research interests break into three main directions: 1- Secular Muslim feminists who are critics of Islamism, 2- The experiences of women of colour academics in British Academia, and 3- Decolonising the Curriculum in the UK.
Secular Muslim feminists who are critics of Islamism
My current work in this area of research include works in-progress focused on feminist solidarities in transnational spaces, subaltern voices and the issue of representation, and case studies of women countering radical islamism and violent extremism, namely Sara Khan in the UK, and Nadia Remadna in France. Currently, I am writing a monograph entitled The Secular Muslim Feminist: An Alternative Voice in the War of Ideas. Follwing the publishing of this monograph, I plan to conduct in-depth interviews with ex-Muslims in Arab Muslim-majority countries to explore the complexities of their positions in countries that regard leaving religion as a major crime/sin.
Experiences of women of colour academics in predominantly white spaces
My experiences a woman of colour (WoC) academic teaching, learning and researching in a predominantly White institution and my conversations with other WoC academics has inspired me to pursue research in this area. I started by writing a critical autoethnography reflecting how the pandemic has exacerbated my previous experiences of discrimination, marginalisation, isolation, and the struggles to find a balance between my personal and professional identities. At presents my thought are of writing an edited volume to compile autoethnographies of WoC early career academics in particular as these voices are often ignored and sometimes they themselves find it hard to speak out due to their precarious positions. These thoughts are in the early stages. If you are interested to be part of this project, please contact me.
Decolonising the curriculum in the UK
At the beginning of the new academic year 20/21, my work with Trent Institute of Teaching and Learning on Decolonising the Curriculum has inspired me to write a journal article based on empirical research I conducted from March to May 2021 entitled: ‘Decolonising the curriculum in criminology: Students’ Perspectives’ which I have submitted to the Journal of Higher Education in July 2021. After presenting this paper in the British Society of Criminology conference in July 2021, I was invited by Palgrave Macmillan to edit a volume around the topic. I am currently in the process of discussing the idea with several colleagues across the sector who are interested in decolonising the curriculum and preparing a proposal. Please contect me if you are interested in writing a chapter in this volume.