On September 13th, Professor Ousseina Alidou traveled from Rutgers University to the University of Michigan and presented her essay entitled, “Political Shari’a, Women’s Bodies and the Politics of Love in Razinat T. Mohamed’s novel Habiba. In her essay, Professor Alidou examines the literary response to the moral order imposed by sharia-cracy, specifically in Nigeria, by examining Razinat T. Mohamed’s novel Habiba. Although Professor Alidou discussed a wide range of aspects involved in examining the literary response, she focused heavily on the response of women intellectuals and artists, including Hausa writers who write Soyyaya, or love literature. These authors are “writing to convey a message of protest;” reactions garnered after sharia-cratic states imposed draconian penalties for “sexual offenses,” according to Professor Alidou.
Not only was the lecture well attended by University of Michigan faculty and students, students and faculty from Rutgers University and the University of Indiana were able to join and ask questions via digital technology.