Feminism Behind the Veil

This paper examines how Coptic Orthodox nuns negotiate piety, gender, and agency in contemporary Egypt. The study tries to contextualize their everyday practices within larger discussions of feminism and religious studies. It argues that the practices of nuns within the Christian monastic order is creating a different form of feminism that is resistant to secular indices of power and liberal discourses. Instead, they create alternative forms of gendered authority through communal rituals and theological commitments. Through conducting semi-structured interviews with seven nuns from three different monasteries, this study argues that there is a different model of agency – one that does not rest on rejection, but rather devotion. It examines how Coptic Orthodox nuns, as part of their monastic formation, negotiate and work to transform gender expectations within religious and social systems.

Agency (philosophy) · Feminism · Negotiation · Piety · Politics · Islamic Studies and History · Religion, Society, and Development · Turkey's Politics and Society