Embracing my jihad: An intersectional approach to understanding Muslim Filipino women activists’ construction of the self as agents of change.

Abstract

Muslim women have always been at the forefront of peacebuilding yet continue to be rendered invisible by structures that perpetuate oppression. As growing research examines their agency amid conflict and injustice, there remains limited scholarship that brings to attention the social, historical, and political context shaping Muslim women's diverse identities and subjectivities. This paper seeks to contribute to efforts nuancing the understanding of Muslim women's agency by employing an intersectional approach to examine the contextualized power dynamics shaping their identity construction. We analyzed life stories of six Muslim Filipino women activists and focused on how they negotiated their identities at the intersection of power structures embedded within their varying contexts. Our findings reveal three themes that discuss how experiences of intersectional violence and oppression shape their identities, how they negotiate their social positions towards developing their visions for peace, and how they enact positive change as they assert their plural identities and resist patriarchal and anti-Islamic forces. We discuss the significance of intersectionality in the study and practice of peace and conflict and reflect on our social positions, as we forward the vital role of Muslim women in peacebuilding in the Philippines. Public Significance StatementIntersectional research on Muslim women's agency must recognize long-standing power relations entrenched within their broader social, historical, and political contexts. Shaped by these intersecting forces, their resistance takes on multiple forms that go beyond their religious identities. Asserting these in research and practice allows for more grounded, relevant, and sustainable ways of strengthening Muslim women's role in peace processes.