Religious monoglossia/heteroglossia and discourses of women leadership in Pakistani higher education

Abstract

A growing body of literature reveals how women in higher education are either excluded from leadership roles or face challenges when they take such responsibilities. The role of religion in Muslim societies is vital to understand Muslim women's sense of “self” and their academic leadership roles and engagement in social and political activities. This study uses Bakhtin's writings as well as a feminist perspective in Islam to unpack how religious discourses shape and construe Muslim women's leadership roles in a public university in Pakistan. Data in this study was drawn from two sources: (a) semi-structured interviews with women academic leaders and academics and (b) focus group discussions with postgraduate students. Findings suggest that discourse around women's leadership in higher education in Pakistan is influenced by a male-centric religious monoglossia characterized by discourses on the hijab, masculinist religious epistemologies, and male-centric divine imagery. In addition, the study points to heteroglossic de-centering of the religious monoglossia by suggesting heteroglossic fluidity in Pakistani religious ethics that favors women's roles as leaders in higher education. A heteroglossic fluidity is characterized by how Islam is viewed as a national project, interpreted along sectarian and gendered lines, and often misused to discourage women from assuming leadership roles.