Reconciling the Secular and the Sacred: A Postsecular Feminist Reading of Leila Aboulela's Bird Summons

The unprecedented public resurgence of Islam in contemporary transnational contexts necessitates a nuanced reconciliation between the secular and the sacred. Postsecularism offers Muslim expatriates the possibility of navigating a "third space" characterized by religious connectivity and cultural hybridity. While postsecularism advocates for the harmonization of Islam and secularism within predominantly Western secular contexts, it often overlooks the critical postmodern intersection of faith and gender. In response, postsecular feminism addresses this gap by revisiting the question of gender within postsecular discourse. It critically examines how religion, particularly Islam, confers agency upon Muslim female expatriates. This article applies a postsecular feminist lens to Leila Aboulela’s Bird Summons (2019), analyzing the convergence of gender, identity, and religion by exploring interfaith dialogue and spiritual quests. By foregrounding the intersection of postsecularism, feminism, and transnationalism, this study contributes to the emergence of a sub-discipline within postsecular studies firmly rooted in feminist thought. As an academic response to Rosi Braidotti’s call to engage seriously with postsecular feminism, the article invites further scholarly inquiry into how Islam attributes agency to Muslim women globally. Keywords: Postsecular feminism, religion, diaspora, women, Leila Aboulela, partial faith, spiritual journey