Representations of Women in Contemporary Islamic Thought A Critical Epistemological Reading

Abstract

This study explores representations of women in contemporary Islamic thought from a critical epistemological perspective. Moving beyond descriptive and polemical approaches, it seeks to analyze the epistemological foundations and methodological assumptions that shape contemporary Islamic discourse on women. The study examines how women are represented in contemporary Islamic thought, the epistemological foundations of these representations, and their ability to move beyond juridical reductionism and ideological bias.

The study argues that contemporary Islamic thought has produced multiple representations of women rather than a single, unified vision. These include a traditional approach grounded in partial juristic interpretations, a reformist approach that emphasizes maqāṣid (higher objectives) and contextual understanding, and a modernist approach that reinterprets religious texts through alternative epistemological frameworks. Despite their diversity, these approaches often exhibit methodological shortcomings, particularly the conflation of epistemological, legal, and social dimensions.

Using a critical analytical methodology based on the concepts of knowledge, ijtihād, and representation, and drawing on a maqāṣid-oriented framework, the study concludes that the crisis of women’s representation in contemporary Islamic thought is fundamentally a crisis of methodology and epistemological vision. It calls for a balanced civilizational framework that integrates women into projects of ijtihād, renewal, and societal development.