This volume shows how and why legal empowerment is important for those exercising their religious rights under various jurisdictions, in conditions of legal pluralism. At the same time, it also questions the thesis that as societies become more modern, they also become less religious. The authors look beyond the rule of law orthodoxy in their consideration of the freedom of religion as a human right and place this discussion in a more plurality-sensitive context. The book sheds more light on the informal and/or customary mechanisms that explain the limited impact of law on individuals and groups, especially in non-Western societies. The focus is on discussing how religion and the exercise of religious rights may or may not empower individuals and social groups and improve access to human rights in general. This book is important reading for academics and practitioners of law and religion, religious rights, religious diversity and cultural difference, as well as NGOs, policy makers, lawyers and advocates at multicultural jurisdictions. It offers a contemporary take on comparative legal studies, with a distinct focus on religion as an identity marker.

The emancipation and empowerment of women has been a worldwide phenomenon of concern to many countries and organizations within the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Although Tanzania, as a country, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Northern Diocese, as an institution, have embraced the idea of gender equality, most women in Tanzania have yet to experience this in full. This book is, therefore, based upon an understanding of the church as participating in God's mission, which is rooted in a context of equality and as such stands in a better position to empower women to overcome some of the patriarchal practices that have put them on the margin of attaining full humanity. Therefore, the book examines how Ushirika wa Neema Deaconess Centre contributes to the empowerment of women in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Northern Diocese and fosters gender awareness in the church and the entire community. Ushirika wa Neema Deaconess Centre provides women with opportunities, such as the means for independent income, for education, for professional training, and for learning life skills. These opportunities change women's self-esteem, as well as raise their self-confidence and respect in the church and community.

The empowerment of women is a broadly endorsed strategy for solving a host of difficult problems, from child poverty to gender violence to international development. The seventeen international scholars in this multi-disciplinary volume offer thoughtful critiques of the notion of empowerment based on their studies in twenty countries in all regions of the world. The comparative introduction places concepts of empowerment in the context of models of the market and of community, showing how contradictions in these models as they are enacted on the ground provide both spaces and constraints for women. The chapters consider opportunities for women in the context of globalization, resurgent nationalism and politicized religion, cultures of masculinity, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. They show how initiatives at national or global levels are transformed by local cultures and power structures, and demonstrate the fruitfulness of tensions between universal values of human rights and contextualized understandings. This landmark, multi-disciplinary collection of original studies by distinguished international feminist scholars will be an essential addition to the fields of Political Science, Women’s Studies, Economics, Sociology, International Development, and Environmental Studies.

Shows how women's decisions direct their lives in both public and private spheres. The book specifies critical conditions and possibilities for women who want to increase their opportunities. Patterns in women's behaviour and concerns are analyzed by applying the author's sociological theory.

Worship as praise of an all-powerful deity has traditionally been associated with the passive side of life. If worship as praise is indeed passive, it could be that such worship has the effect on people of taking power away. Worship as praise would be at best irrelevant and at worst a hindrance in an age that is, as perhaps never before, preoccupied with the active exercise of power. The central issue of this book is the question, Can worship be both praise and empowerment? By examining Christian worship in these terms, the author seeks to make a strong affirmation of the importance of worship for the movements of liberation that are seeking to exercise power responsibly in our time. In this respect Worship as Praise and Empowerment can be described as a major work of liberation theology in the North American setting. Why worship? What are some of the contemporary obstacles to worship? What really transpires in the act of worship? These are just some of the important questions addressed in this insightful book of liturgical theology.

This adaptable book offers diverse applications of the empowerment model to the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental illness. Topics span the developmental trends of empowerment as an individual achievement, a community experience, and a professional aim in relation to social intervention strategies and tactics.

This book may be used as a companion piece for Women Empowerment in a pandemic situation. It presents a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities that women face in their quest for justice on gender equality and women's empowerment. It contextualizes them in the current situation where countries and communities are seeking to address the heightened challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis and recover from its devastating effects.

This book analyzes women entrepreneurs in Muslim countries who are using Islamic values to develop and run small businesses. As a core case study, the authors are using Indonesia as it is the largest Muslim country in the world by population. The project examines supportive policies and economic programs in detail and considers their effects on the businesses of several women entrepreneurs. Additionally, the authors argue that this work-life balance is critical for the definition of a successful female Muslim entrepreneur. The monograph considers whether this new phenomenon indicates a change in the conception of ideal Muslim womanhood or whether it is a limited phenomenon with few impacts beyond Indonesia. The book will appeal to academic and practitioner audience interested in Islam, gender studies, Middle Eastern and South Asian politics, development, anthropology, and social policy.

This open access book explores the various dimensions of women’s empowerment in public policy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, with a particular focus on Qatar, comparing the country to the other Gulf states. Through its rich compilation of empirical qualitative research, the text unpacks the various ways in which women’s empowerment materializes in the GCC context, providing insights into public policy perspectives in high-income rentier states more broadly. The Arab world has long been part of the global dialogue on women’s economic and political empowerment and the GCC has, over the past decade, situated women’s empowerment amongst their respective national priorities and long-term strategies. In turn, the Gulf has seen gradual implementation of policies aimed at women, specifically, in looking to attract and retain them in the labour market, and in the public sector more broadly. The collection surveys and evaluates the progress made in recent decades, paying close attention to the cultural and policy constraints still limiting women’s empowerment in the Gulf. With a key linkage to SDG5, this book is a timely text addressing the context and drivers behind policies centering on women in the Arab region, in its analysis of the interplay of international women’s empowerment discourse and regional public policy decisions. It is relevant to researchers and policy makers focused on women and gender issues in relation to social, cultural, economic, and political empowerment in the Gulf specifically, but also in the Arab world and beyond.