Nina Hoel

Associate Professor - Fagseksjonen
Image of Nina Hoel
Norwegian version of this page
Phone +47 22850327
Username
Visiting address Blindernveien 9 Domus Theologica 0371 Oslo
Postal address Postboks 1023 Blindern 0315 Oslo

Academic Interests

My main research interest is in the broad area of feminist theory and methodology in the study of religion, with a particular focus on Islamic feminism/Islamic sexual ethics and South African Muslim women’s lived experiences. 

Courses Taught

Background

  • 2014 – 2015: Research Associate, KIFO (Institute for Church, Religion, and Worldview Research), Oslo, Norway
  • 2013 – 2014:  Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Project:  Contemporary Islamic Sexual Ethics and Islamic Feminism. (PI: Dr. Maheshvari Naidu) 
  • 2010 – 2012: A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Project: South African Muslim Women, Gender, and Sexuality (PI: Associate Prof. Sa’diyya Shaikh) 
  • 2010: Doctor of Philosophy, Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Thesis title: South African Muslim Women’s Experiences: Sexuality and Religious Discourses (Supervisor: Associate Prof. Sa’diyya Shaikh)
  • 2005:  Master of Social Science in Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa (degree was awarded with Distinction). Thesis title: Contemporary Discourses on Muslim Women and Veiling: A Critical Analysis (Supervisor: Associate Prof. Sa’diyya Shaikh)
  • 2005 – 2012:  Researcher, Institute for Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (ICRSA), Director: Professor David Chidester, University of Cape Town  
  • 2003: Mellomfag, Religious Studies, University of Bergen, Norway
  • 2002-2003: Grunnfag, Religious Studies, University of Bergen, Norway
  • 1998-2002:  General Teacher, Professional Degree Programme, Bergen University College, Norway  

Academic Networks

  • American Academy of Religion, Co-Chair “Religion and Sexuality Group” (2014- Present), Steering Committee Member (2012-2014).
  • Islamic Africa, Editorial Advisory Board (2015-Present)
  • African Association for the Study of Religions, Program Committee Member for the 6th AASR conference in Africa, 2013-2014. 
  • Journal for the Study of Religion, International Advisory Board (2014-Present), Editorial Board Member (2008-2013).  
Tags: Gender and Religion, Religion and Society, Feminist Theory and Methodology, Gender Sexuality and Religion, Islam and Gender, Lived Religion, Religion and Ecology

Publications

Selected Publications (Articles in peer reviewed journal)

  • Hoel, Nina. “Exploring Women’s Madrasahs in South Africa: Implications for the Construction of Muslim Personhood and Religious Literacy.” Religious Education, forthcoming 2016. 
  • Hoel, Nina. 2015. “Engaging Islamic Sexual Ethics: Intimacy, Pleasure and Sacrality.” Sexualities, 18(1/2): 80-99.     
  • Hoel, Nina. 2013. “Feminism and Religion and the Politics of Location: Situating Islamic Feminism in South Africa.” Journal of Gender and Religion in Africa, 19(2): 73-89. 
  • Hoel, Nina. 2013. “Sexualising the Sacred, Sacralising Sexuality: An Analysis of Public Responses to Muslim Women’s Religious Leadership in the Context of a Cape Town Mosque.” Journal for the Study of Religion, 26(2): 25-41.
  • Naidu, Maheshvari and Nina Hoel. 2013. “Continuities and Departures: Women’s Religious and Spiritual Leadership.” Journal for the Study of Religion, 26(2): 5-11. 
  • Hoel, Nina. 2013. “Corporeal Bodies, Religious Lives, and ‘Women’s Rights’: Engaging Islamic Body Politics among Muslim women in South Africa.” Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity, 27(4): 79-90. (Included in Routledge 2014 International Women’s Day Collection, “Inspiring Change”.
  • Baderoon, Gabeba, Nina Hoel and Sa’diyya Shaikh. 2013. “Theorising Experience, Subjectivity and Narrative in Studies of Gender and Islam.” Journal for Islamic Studies, 33: 1-13. 
  • Hoel, Nina and Sa’diyya Shaikh. 2013. “Sexing Islamic Theology: Theorising Women’s Experience and Gender through ʿabd-Allah and khalīfah.” Journal for Islamic Studies, 33: 127-150.
  • Hoel, Nina. 2013. “Embodying the Field: A Researcher’s Reflections on Power Dynamics, Positionality and the Nature of Research Relationships.” Fieldwork in Religion, 8(1): 27-49. 
  • Hoel, Nina and Sa’diyya Shaikh. 2013. “Sex as Ibadah: Religion, Gender and Subjectivity amongst South African Muslim Women.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 29(1): 69-91.
  • Hoel, Nina. 2012. “Engaging Religious Leaders: South African Muslim Women’s Experiences in Matters Pertaining to Divorce Initiatives.” Social Dynamics: A Journal of African Studies, 38(2): 184-200.
  • Hoel, Nina and Elaine Nogueira-Godsey. 2011. “Transforming Feminisms: Religion, Women and Ecology.” Journal for the Study of Religion, 24(2): 5-16. 
  • Shaikh, Sa’diyya, Nina Hoel and Ashraf Kagee. 2011. “Research Report: South African Muslim Women: Sexuality, Marriage and Reproductive Choices.” Journal for Islamic Studies, 31: 96-122.   
  • Hoel, Nina, Sa’diyya Shaikh and Ashraf Kagee. 2011. “Muslim Women’s Reflections on the Acceptability of Vaginal Microbicidal Products to Prevent HIV Infection.” Ethnicity & Health, 16(2): 89-106. 
  • Hoel, Nina. 2008/2009. “Flirtations with Muslim Female Sexuality.” Annual Review of Islam in Africa, Issue No. 10: 30-34. 
  • Hoel, Nina and Sa’diyya Shaikh. 2007. “Veiling, Secularism and Islamism: Gender Constructions in France and Iran.” Journal for the Study of Religion, 20(1): 111-129.  
  • Hoel, Nina. “Sex,” in The Islamic World: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Society. Edited by Gordon Newby and James Ciment, forthcoming 2015-2016  
  • Brottveit, Ånund, Ann Kristin Gresaker og Nina Hoel (2015, 9. oktober). Avgjørende dialog (kronikk), Vårt Land.
  • Brottveit, Ånund, Ann Kristin Gresaker og Nina Hoel. 2015. «Det handler om verdensfreden!» En evaluering av rollen Samarbeidsrådet for tros- og livssynssamfunn, Norges Kristne Råd og Islamsk Råd Norge har i dialogarbeidet. KIFO Rapport 2015: 3. 166 sider. (ISBN 978-82-92972-40-3; ISSN 0807-7517)
  • Botvar, Pål Ketil, Ånund Brottveit, Nina Hoel, Elisabet Haakedal, Ulla Schmidt. 2015. Avsluttet reform eller fortsatt læring og utvikling? Trosopplæring som arbeidsform i menighetene. KIFO Rapport 2015: 1. 92 sider. (ISBN 978-82-92972-38-0; ISSN 0807-7517)
  • Shaikh, Sa’diyya, Nina Hoel and Ashraf Kagee. 2011. South African Muslim Women: Sexuality, Marriage and Reproductive Choices, Research Report. Booklet, 32 pp.  
  • Hoel, Nina (2024). Feminisme i Antropocen. In Mjaaland, Marius Timmann; Eriksen, Thomas Hylland & Hessen, Dag Olav (Ed.), Antropocen - menneskets tidsalder. Res Publica. ISSN 9788282263016.
  • Hoel, Nina (2023). Muslim Women’s Religious and Social Activism in South Africa. In Afsaruddin, Asma (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Women. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780190638771. p. 478–488. doi: https:/doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190638771.013.12.
  • Hoel, Nina (2023). Crochet Methodology: Thinking Creatively about and with the Study of Religion in the Anthropocene. African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR). doi: 10.36615/ajgr.v29i2.2800. Full text in Research Archive
  • Gray, Biko Mandela; Hoel, Nina ; Bongmba, Elias K.; Nadar, Sarojini; Parsitau, Damaris Seleina & Nogueira-Godsey, Trad (2020). Intimately engaging with religion and sexuality. Religious Studies Review. ISSN 0319-485X. 46(3), p. 317–319. doi: 10.1111/rsr.14702.
  • Hoel, Nina (2020). Fieldwork=Bodywork. Religious Studies Review. ISSN 0319-485X. 46(3), p. 325–327. doi: 10.1111/rsr.14704.
  • Hoel, Nina Birgette Petersen (2019). Taking the Body Seriously, Taking Relationalities Seriously: An Embodied and Relational Approach to Ethnographic Research in the Study of (Lived) Religion. In Chryssides, George D. & Gregg, Stephen E. (Ed.), The Insider/Outsider Debate. New Perspectives in the Study of Religion. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781793435. p. 88–109.
  • Hoel, Nina (2016). Approaching Islam queerly. Theology and Sexuality. ISSN 1355-8358.
  • Hoel, Nina Birgette Petersen (2016). Exploring women's madrasahs in South Africa: implications for the construction of muslim personhood and religious literacy. Religious Education. ISSN 0034-4087. 111(1), p. 30–48. doi: 10.1080/00344087.2016.1124011.
  • Hoel, Nina (2014). Engaging Islamic sexual ethics: Intimacy, pleasure and sacrality. Sexualities. ISSN 1363-4607. doi: 10.1177/1363460714547718.
  • Naidu, Maheshvari & Hoel, Nina (2013). Continuities and Departures: Women’s Religious and Spiritual Leadership. Journal for the Study of Religion. ISSN 1011-7601.
  • Hoel, Nina (2013). Sexualising the Sacred, Sacralising Sexuality: An Analysis of Public Responses to Muslim Women’s Religious Leadership in the Context of a Cape Town Mosque. Journal for the Study of Religion. ISSN 1011-7601.
  • Hoel, Nina (2013). Feminism and Religion and the Politics of Location: Situating Islamic Feminism in South Africa . African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR).
  • Hoel, Nina & Shaikh, Sa'diyya (2013). Sex as Ibadah: Religion, Gender, and Subjectivity among South African Muslim Women. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. ISSN 8755-4178. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2010.539196.
  • Hoel, Nina (2013). Corporeal bodies, religious lives, and ‘women's rights’: Engaging Islamic body politics among Muslim women in South Africa. Agenda: Empowering Women For Gender Equity. ISSN 1013-0950. doi: 10.1080/10130950.2013.854454.
  • Hoel, Nina (2013). Embodying the Field: A Researcher's Reflections on Power Dynamics, Positionality and the Nature of Research Relationships. Fieldwork in Religion. ISSN 1743-0615. doi: 10.1558/fiel.v8i1.27.
  • Hoel, Nina (2012). Engaging religious leaders: South African Muslim women’s experiences in matters pertaining to divorce initiatives. Social Dynamics. ISSN 0253-3952.
  • Hoel, Nina & Nogueira-Godsey, Elaine (2011). Transforming Feminisms: Religion, Women, and Ecology. Journal for the Study of Religion. ISSN 1011-7601.
  • Hoel, Nina; Shaikh, Sa'diyya & Kagee, Ashraf (2011). Muslim women's reflections on the acceptability of vaginal microbicidal products to prevent HIV infection. Ethnicity and Health. ISSN 1355-7858. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2010.539196.
  • Hoel, Nina & Shaikh, Sa'diyya (2007). Veiling, Secularism and Islamism: Gender Constructions in France and Iran. Journal for the Study of Religion. ISSN 1011-7601. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2010.539196.

View all works in Cristin

  • Hoel, Nina Birgette Petersen; Wilcox, Melissa M. & Wilson, Liz (2020). Religion, the Body and Sexuality: An Introduction. Routledge. ISBN 9781138728127. 180 p.

View all works in Cristin

  • Botvar, Pål Ketil; Brottveit, Ånund; Hoel, Nina Birgette Petersen; Haakedal, Elisabet & Schmidt, Ulla (2015). Avsluttet reform eller fortsatt læring og utvikling? Trosopplæring som samarbeidsform i menighetene. KIFO, Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning. ISSN 978-82-92972-38-0.

View all works in Cristin

Published Aug. 17, 2015 6:18 PM - Last modified Feb. 26, 2024 10:26 AM