Arwa Hussain
Why do women's choices to live religious lives need to be understood and what role has social media played in shaping this choice?
Arwa Hussain is a doctoral candidate in religion and an international student. She holds a Master of Arts and a Master of Philosophy in history from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. It was there that Arwa introduced participatory engagement methods in the study of the history of Pakistan. Her research is interdisciplinary and combines ethnography and social media platform analysis to question why women choose to live in religious communities and adopt visibly religious identities.
Her study participants belong to the Dawoodi Bohras, a small Islamic community, of which Arwa herself is a member. Her research is deeply personal and draws on her own experiences to build an understanding of religious agency and identity. Her study will be the first of its kind that will shed light on this dynamic community and its women. Her doctoral research is funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Société et Culture and Concordia.
