Mona Tajali, a scholar of gender and politics, has been a visiting scholar at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law since 2023. Her research interests include women’s political participation and representation in Muslim countries, with a comparative focus on Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey, as well as the institutionalization of women’s rights in semi- or non-democratic contexts. This fall, Tajali brings her extensive expertise to Stanford's undergraduates through a new course, FEMGEN 202: Global Feminisms. Tajali previously designed and taught this course as an associate professor of international relations and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Agnes Scott College, a historically women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta.

"Global Feminisms" is designed to explore the diverse and often conflicting ways in which feminists around the world advocate for gender equality. The course promises to provide students with an interdisciplinary framework to critically engage with feminist theories and practices on a global scale. Rather than merely surveying the various feminist movements, FEMGEN 202 aims to equip students with the analytical tools to understand and research feminist activism across different cultural and political contexts.

The course begins with foundational concepts such as intersectionality, othering, and postcolonial feminism. These concepts are crucial for understanding the historical power dynamics and hierarchies that have shaped feminist discourses, particularly in non-Western contexts. Tajali’s course also delves into the complexities of religiously inspired forms of feminism, including Islamic feminism, challenging students to think beyond traditional Western feminist paradigms.

Tajali’s course is particularly timely as the global feminist movement continues to navigate the challenges of building solidarity across borders. Students will be encouraged to consider how feminists with diverse backgrounds and perspectives can work together to address common concerns, despite sometimes having opposing views on how best to improve the status of women.

Tajali’s academic journey has been marked by a deep commitment to understanding and advancing women’s rights in complex political contexts. Tajali is the author of several significant works, including Women’s Political Representation in Iran and Turkey: Demanding a Seat at the Table (2022) and Electoral Politics: Making Quotas Work for Women (2011), both of which are accessible as open-access publications. Her co-edited volume, Women and Constitutions in Muslim Contexts (2024), was also published this year, applying a gendered lens to the study of national constitutions of several Muslim countries. Her research has been further published in both academic and popular outlets, among them the Middle East Journal, Politics & Gender, The Conversation, and The Washington Post.

Beyond her academic contributions, Tajali has been an active participant in transnational feminist networks. She is a long-term collaborator with Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), a global solidarity network that advocates for women’s rights in Muslim contexts. Since 2019, she has also served on the executive board of WLUML, further bridging the gap between academia and grassroots activism, and currently directs their Transformative Feminist Leadership Institute.

As Tajali brings her expertise to Stanford this fall, students will have the unique opportunity to engage with global feminist issues through the lens of a scholar deeply immersed in both academic research and practical advocacy. "Global Feminisms" promises to be a transformative course that not only broadens students’ understanding of feminism worldwide but also prepares them to contribute thoughtfully to the ongoing global conversation about gender equality.