Afiya S. Zia (Ph.D. Women and Gender Studies) has held the Frank B Weeks chair as, Visiting Assistant Professor of Feminist Studies, Wesleyan University, (2021-2022). She carries over 20 years of experience in research, teaching and activism. She has taught at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Habib University in Pakistan. Afiya is author of Faith and Feminism in Pakistan; Religious Agency or Secular Autonomy? (Liverpool University Press 2017) and two dozen peer-reviewed essays for scholarly journals. Afiya has also conducted nearly three dozen research studies for governmental, non- governmental, and international agencies with a special focus on democracy, civil society movements, and violence against women and religious minorities. She has drafted policies and prepared gender analysis for the Government of Pakistan toward improving women’s shelters, post-conflict services, electoral participation of women, special education, sexual violence, the #MeToo movement and legal activism. She has developed gender strategies for UN agencies and collaborated on large projects internationally. She is advisory member for several international and regional networks and rights-based organisations.
