Asma Barlas, Professor Emerita of Politics, Gives Two Lectures

By Kenesha Chatman, October 18, 2021

Asma Barlas gave the keynote for an international conference on the Hermeneutics of Qur'anic Norm Change at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, on October 14.

Her paper explored different interpretations of men's authority vis-a-vis women in the Qur'an and the implications of these not only for women's welfare but also for Muslim conceptions of God. Over the weekend (Oct. 16-17) she participated in a reading circle that discussed several texts, including her essay, "Secular and Feminist Critiques of the Qur'an: Anti-hermeneutics as Liberation?"

On October 5th, she was invited to give an "expert lecture" on the Qur'an to the faculty who teach in the Contemporary Civilizations program at Columbia University. All the events took place via Zoom.