Dr. Mounira Charrad

Biography

Mounira (Maya) Charrad is an award-winning author and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Gender and Women's Rights, Political Sociology, Social Theory, Colonialism, and Comparative-Historical Sociology. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University and holds an undergraduate degree from Sorbonne University in Paris. Her research focuses on state formation, colonialism, law, citizenship, and kinship, deeply exploring how state power shapes the expansion and curtailment of women's rights. Charrad’s work emphasizes social solidarities grounded in kinship, ethnicity, and associations, moving beyond textual approaches to politics that rely solely on religion. Currently, she is studying women's associations, secularism, and civil society in Tunisia. Her research has featured across various media and has been translated into French, Arabic, and Chinese, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and other prestigious foundations. Charrad teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in her fields of expertise, supervising doctoral students on various topics. She is affiliated with several academic programs including the Plan II Honors Program and the Center for Women's and Gender Studies, and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Middle East Studies.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses