Our PhD Candidate Neveen Fathi Abouldahab Presented Her Research at International Academic Events

Our Sociology PhD candidate Neveen Fathi Abouldahab successfully represented our Department of Sociology by presenting her research at three international academic conferences held in June and July 2026.

She first presented her paper, “From Liminality to Place Belonging: Narrative of Home and Belonging” at the annual conference of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES).

She then participated in the 1st Swiss Conference of Migration and Mobility Studies (SCMMS), held at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on 7–8 July 2026, where she presented her paper titled “From Prolonged Liminality to Active Agency: Belonging and Home-Making Practices Among Arab Migrants in Istanbul”.

Based on twelve months of qualitative fieldwork in Istanbul, these studies examine how Arab migrants negotiate belonging and home-making under conditions of prolonged uncertainty and liminality.

Drawing on Árpád Szakolczai's concept of prolonged liminality, Paolo Boccagni's sociology of home-making, and Sara Ahmed's affect theory, the research demonstrates how informal community spaces, such as the Majlis, function as affective refuges.

The findings highlight how shared rituals and socio-cultural spaces transform urban estrangement into collective agency, enabling marginalized communities to cultivate hope and imagine alternative futures despite ongoing uncertainty.

Re-examining Muslim Women’s Agency

Neveen Fathi Abouldahab also participated in the International Workshop on Radical Imagination: Rethinking Gender Justice in the Middle East and North Africa, organized by the Centre for Law, Religion and Society at the University of Galway on 6–7 July 2026. At the workshop, she presented her paper titled “Women's Agency and Islam: Rethinking Power and Autonomy through the Story of Zaynab bint Muhammad”.

Her presentation contributes to contemporary debates on gender, Islam, and modernity by re-examining Muslim women's agency from both historical and theoretical perspectives. Through an analysis of the life and decisions of Zaynab bint Muhammad during periods of conflict and socio-political pressure, the paper argues that agency can be understood not only through secular-liberal forms of resistance but also within ethical and familial frameworks.

Drawing on the postcolonial scholarship of Saba Mahmood and Lila Abu-Lughod, the study approaches early Islamic history as a living theoretical resource for rethinking power, autonomy, and gender justice in contemporary contexts.

Congratulations to Neveen Fathi Abouldahab on her successful participation in these prestigious international academic events and wishes her continued success in her scholarly work.