Eva Sajoo

Research Associate

Eva Sajoo has taught at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing as well as the University of British Columbia, and currently lectures at Simon Fraser University in the Continuing Studies Program. She has published work on gender, development, and education in Muslim societies, including “Modern Citizenship, Multiple Identities” in Muslim Modernities (I.B Tauris, 2008), and a co-authored chapter entitled “Gender and Identity” in Companion to Muslim Cultures (I.B. Tauris, 2011). Her research won first place in a 2010 competition sponsored by the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies  (Geneva). She is currently writing a chapter on education, religion, and values for the forthcoming Education and International Development: Practice, Policy and Research (Continuum Books, 2013). In addition to her academic work, she is a regular contributor to the news media, notably on Afghanistan.

Research Summary:

Eva’s current research interest builds on her previous work on the roles of women in transitional states. During her term at the CCMS, she will focus on the use of “culture” and “religion” as identity markers which function to define or limit the presence of women in public and political life. These identity narratives are most evident in transitional societies, of which there are increasing examples in the Muslim world as the process of political change gathers speed. In addition to examining the ways that women are prevented from full political participation, she is interested in the potential repercussions of their continued exclusion.