Women’s Rights in Tunisia and the Democratic Renegotiation of an Authoritarian Legacy

Abstract

Since the 2011 revolution, Tunisia has been negotiating what it is to become, a processof rebirth in which women’s rights is key. The ongoing debates reflect a confrontation betweenthe feminist policies of Habib Bourguiba (the first president of the Tunisian republic) andalternative notions of women’s rights. In this article, I examine the debates that are currentlytaking place in Tunisia. I argue that the topic of women’s rights is crucial in the power strugglebetween the political elites within Tunisia. It is symbolic of the much wider battle over the future of the country. Moreover, the legislative outcomes of the debates are indicative for the postrevolutionary political dynamics, showing the strength of so-called secularists.

A Revolution in Muslim Family Law? Egypt’s Pre- and Post-Revolutionary Period (2011-2013) Compared

“…Voorhoeve has pointed out that in post-revolutionary Tunisia and the Arab World in general, one should be careful to not analyze family law debates along a divide of Islamists versus secularists/feminists because there is a tension between these categories and actual social complexities. 65 The same applies in Egypt. 66 That the founders of both "The Revolution of Men" and the "The Network of Men Harmed by the Personal Status Laws" did not support the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (although they expressed some sympathy with them and the Salafist political party al-Nūr) testifies to this.…”

The Tunisian Law on Violence against Women

“…Police officers allegedly referred women to the police station closest to their home, increasing the chances that victims file a complaint with officers who know the perpetrator in person and refuse to record the charges. 15 Likewise, family judges rejected allegations of domestic violence with the argument that "women tend to lie about these things" (Voorhoeve 2012).…”

“…In the same period, a prominent Ennahda member ushered the government to disengage from Cedaw, also for its violation of Arabic and Islamic values. And in 2012, a number of Ennahda mps backed the proposal that the new Constitution should protect "gender complementarity" rather than "equality" (Voorhoeve 2015).…”

Muslim Marriage and Non-Marriage

“…In other words, what kind of marriage is considered controversial depends on both historical moments and particular settings.Bourguiba and Ben Ali's imposed narrative of Tunisian nationhood as homogeneous had obscured the presence of competing ways of life-"the understanding of correct beliefs and conduct"(Zeghal 2013, 255)-in present-day Tunisia.23 After the 2011 uprising, alternative and conflicting ideas became visible among parties labeled as "the seculars" and "the Islamists" about Tunisia's "true" national identity. "The women question" and related issues of gender relations and female sexuality resurfaced as a central topic in Tunisia's revived identity politics(Haugbølle and Cavatorta 2012;Marks 2013b;Voorhoeve 2015;Zemni 2016). Besides, in the summer of 2013 the Tunisian government started its crackdown on Ansar al-Sharia, the country's largest self-proclaimed Salafi jihadist organization (Gartenstein-Ross, Moreng, and Soucy 2014).…”