Rangita de Silva-de Alwis, S.J.D., Director of International Human Rights Policy Programs at the Wellesley Centers for Women, leads a unique project that brings together women leaders from countries governed by Muslim Law. The Women's Leadership Network: Women's Political, Public, and Economic Participation in the Muslim World project was founded last year with the belief that transnational information sharing networks can help strengthen partnerships between and across disciplines, regions, communities, and national boundaries. This collaboration would then reinforce a more dynamic understanding of women’s leadership in the world. The women leaders in this Network are at the forefront of reform across the Muslim world and are mining the egalitarian core of Islamic jurisprudence. In this presentation, Dr. de Silva-de Alwis will talk more about the work of this network during a Wellesley Centers for Women Lunchtime Seminar on November 18th, including a recently published collection of essays written by Network steering committee members. These papers both join and respond to the call for Islamic feminism as part of a modernist movement bent on contextualizing Islam.

Lunchtime Seminar Series programs are free and open to the public. Held Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Cheever House Library, the seminars highlight the work of Wellesley Centers for Women researchers and program staff. For more information, call 781.283.2500 or visit www.wcwonline.org.

Since 1974, the Wellesley Centers for Women has been a driving force—both behind the scenes and in the spotlight—promoting positive change for women, children, and families. Work at WCW addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals. Issues of diversity and equity are central across all the work as are the experiences and perspectives of women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.