Women Entrepreneurs and Business Empowerment in Muslim Countries

‘Minako Sakai and Amelia Fauzia present an incisive analysis of an understudied yet consequential aspect of the modern Muslim experience: women’s business enterprise. This meticulously researched and argued work thus vividly points to the possibilities of shaping inclusive Muslim modernities.’

Professor James Piscatori, Durham University

‘The book weaves together the impact of context-specific variables, state policies, and economic status of women in shaping their ability to emerge as Muslim mothers as entrepreneurs, mompreneurs.’ 

Professor Samina Yasmeen, The University of Western Australia

‘This book is an important work that shows the conformity of Islam and modernization, and distinctive feature of Southeast Asian (also Indonesian) Islamic cultural sphere. I highly recommend this book for academics, NGOs and governments.’   

Professor Azyumardi Azra CBE, UIN Jakarta

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.

Minako Sakai is an anthropologist, andis Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

Amelia Fauzia is a social historian, and is Professor and the Director for Social Trust Fund at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta. She is a Senior Visiting Fellow with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.