Research:
My current research is concerned with understanding the contemporary debates around schools, sex education, and SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity). Relying on primary data collected directly from Canadian Muslim parents, this project will construct a detailed account of the “landscapes of meaning” and feeling (i.e., symbols, discourses, interpretive frameworks) that inform immigrant Muslim parents’ perspectives on sex, gender ideology and public schools. Prior literature has pointed to the need for such data, which scholars say is urgently required to help educators and policy makers craft lesson plans that are culturally sensitive and tailored to student needs. Drawing on concepts and frameworks from cultural sociology, this exploratory research project will serve as a steppingstone for the construction in phase two of a larger global and comparative project focused on understanding how Canadian Muslim meaning landscapes compare with those of Muslim immigrants in the US and UK. By examining Muslim frameworks of meaning and feeling in multiple immigration contexts, this planned future project will not only provide vital insights for educators and parents, but will also enrich the scholarly conversation amongst globalization, sexuality, immigration, and multiculturalism researchers.
Publications and Reports:
Book
Husain, Fauzia. 2024. The Stigma Matrix: Purdah, Globalization, and the Agency of Pakistan's Frontline Women. Stanford University Press.
Reviewed in:
Gender & Society, American Journal of Sociology; Contemporary Sociology, The Developing Economies, South Asia Research, The Journal of Development Studies Pacific Affairs
Invited book talks:
McMaster University, Sociology (March 2025); McGill University, Sociology department (November 2024); University of South Florida, virtual, (November 2024); Queen’s University, Sociology, (November 2024).
Podcasts: New Books Network; ASA, Contemporary Sociology.
Articles in refereed journals (*indicates student co-author)
Other publications:
- Husain, Fauzia. 2024. “Self-Immolation and Other ‘spectacular’ Protests: How Impactful Are They?” The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2024. Link
- Husain, Fauzia. 2021. The Weight of Choice.” Invited review of book: “Making the Right Choice: Narratives of Marriage in Sri Lanka,” by Asha L. Abeyasekera. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews
- Husain, Fauzia. 2020. "Postcolonial Though and Social Theory by Julian Go." Invited Book Review. Social Forces.
- Husain, Fauzia. 2018. Invited Essay: “Corruption, Gender, And The Violation Of Public-Private Boundaries.” Organizations, Occupations and Work, Newsletter. December.
- Husain, Fauzia. 2017. Silencing Sexual Harassment Complaints in Pakistan and the US. Blog post, Sociological Images
- Husain, Fauzia. 2015. “Burka Avengers” and Pakistan’s Gender Structures Blog post, Gender and Society Blog. (Website).
- Husain, Fauzia. 2015. Is there a Globalization of Commoditized Love? Blog post, Sociological Images (Website with 500,000 viewers monthly). February.
Husain, Fauzia. 2024. The Stigma Matrix: Purdah, Globalization, and the Agency of Pakistan's Frontline Women. Stanford University Press.
- Co-winner; 2025 American Sociological Association, Global and Transnational Sociology Section Best Book by an International Scholar Award.
Reviewed in:
Gender & Society, American Journal of Sociology; Contemporary Sociology, The Developing Economies, South Asia Research, The Journal of Development Studies Pacific Affairs
Invited book talks:
McMaster University, Sociology (March 2025); McGill University, Sociology department (November 2024); University of South Florida, virtual, (November 2024); Queen’s University, Sociology, (November 2024).
Podcasts: New Books Network; ASA, Contemporary Sociology.
Articles in refereed journals (*indicates student co-author)
- Husain, Fauzia. 2025. “Muslim Women’s Agency; Getting Past the Binary Trap.” Sociological Forum. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.13059
- Honorable Mention, Shils-Coleman Award, 2019. Theory section of the American Sociological Association (Previously titled: “Hobbled Leadership; Gender and The Engines of Authority in The Pakistani Police.”)
- Husain, Fauzia and Sofia Seer*. 2025. "Sexual Projects, Sexual Formations, and the Muslim Phantasm: Unpacking the Global Gender Backlash." Sex & Sexualities, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/3033371251328043
- Husain, Fauzia. 2021. “Dead Goat on the Runway: Disruptive Fusion, Affective Citizenship, and Gender.” Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media, and the Arts.
- Husain, Fauzia. 2020. “Halal Dating, Purdah, and Postfeminism: What Pakistani Women’s Sexual Projects Can Tell Us About Agency.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 45: 3,.
- 2021 Distinguished Article Award, Sexualities Section, American Sociological Association
- Bierstedt Prize for best graduate paper, 2018.
Other publications:
- Husain, Fauzia. 2024. “Self-Immolation and Other ‘spectacular’ Protests: How Impactful Are They?” The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2024. Link
- Husain, Fauzia. 2021. The Weight of Choice.” Invited review of book: “Making the Right Choice: Narratives of Marriage in Sri Lanka,” by Asha L. Abeyasekera. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews
- Husain, Fauzia. 2020. "Postcolonial Though and Social Theory by Julian Go." Invited Book Review. Social Forces.
- Husain, Fauzia. 2018. Invited Essay: “Corruption, Gender, And The Violation Of Public-Private Boundaries.” Organizations, Occupations and Work, Newsletter. December.
- Husain, Fauzia. 2017. Silencing Sexual Harassment Complaints in Pakistan and the US. Blog post, Sociological Images
- Husain, Fauzia. 2015. “Burka Avengers” and Pakistan’s Gender Structures Blog post, Gender and Society Blog. (Website).
- Husain, Fauzia. 2015. Is there a Globalization of Commoditized Love? Blog post, Sociological Images (Website with 500,000 viewers monthly). February.
