Paper short abstract:

I explore @muslimskkvindekamp’s use of Instagram to disseminate Islamic feminism. Based on digital content and interview material, I explain how they understand Islamic feminism and their digital platform as a counterpublic. I contribute to broader understandings of Muslim feminism in Scandinavia.

Paper long abstract:

This paper addresses the ways in which a Copenhagen-based Instagram account @muslimskkvindekamp (“Muslim women’s struggle”) employ Instagram to disseminate Islamic feminism in Danish. I base the paper on my ongoing analysis of the Instagram content from the account collected between July and December 2022 as well as two semi-structured interviews with two of the account owners in May 2022. The findings are provisional, and the paper does not offer a comprehensive understanding of the research topics. It does, however, highlight some aspects of feminism and Islam in Scandinavia. On one hand, I explore the various conceptualizations of feminism in Islam and how @muslimskkvindekamp understand the terms. On the other hand, I am interested in digital spaces as counterpublics and how they contribute to change in religion and feminism. The account, for instance, talk against both Orientalist narratives and conservative and androcentric narratives about Islam and Muslims. Ultimately, it serves as base for knowledge and information about Islamic feminism and biographies of central figures who are engaged with Islamic feminism. Thus, the paper investigates the relationship between Islam and feminism by looking at the use of Instagram to talk about and discuss feminism in Islam. By concentrating on an account based in Denmark, the paper brings forward broader understandings of Islam and feminism in Scandinavia.