Publicaties | Publications

Coming soon!

This summer, my monograph ‘Conversion, Gender, Race’ will be published open access with Routledge!

This book explores the intersections of religion, gender, sexuality and race in the everyday lives of female converts in the Netherlands. In a unique comparative approach, it is based on ethnographic research in Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. What does it mean to join a religious community as a woman in a largely secularised country? How does gender impact processes of religious conversion? How can we understand processes of racialization of converts who join a minority group? The book highlights how the formation of a religious self is shaped by gender and vice versa at the level of religious community, families and individual embodiments. It considers the apparent paradox in women’s conversion: When secular women join religious groups associated with gender conservatism, they are often perceived as lacking agency, or using their conversion primarily for external reasons (such as marriage). Underneath this assumption is a strong idea that ‘secularity’ offers women their freedom, whilst ‘traditional religions’ would limit women’s emancipation and freedom. Drawing on insights from gender studies and religious studies, the author critically reflects on concepts and theories about women’s religiosity, conversion, and the role of gender and sexuality in the construction of a religion/secular binary. The study offers fresh and nuanced insight into the similarities between religious groups, which are usually examined individually. At the same time, it recognizes that the social context and difference in social position of the three groups studied have a deep impact on the process of conversion. The book includes analysis of how new Jewish and Muslim women deal with the experience of becoming a (racialized) minority in the Netherlands, as well as how the comparison with the experiences of Christian women reflect on Christian privilege. 

Schrijvers, L.L. Conversion, Gender, Race: A Comparative Study of Women Becoming Jewish, Christian, and Muslim in the Netherlands. Routledge series ‘Gendering the Study of Religion in the Social Sciences’.

Journal articles

Van den Brandt, N., L. Schrijvers, A. Miri and N. Mustafa. 2026. White Innocence: Reflections on Public Debates and Political-Analytical Challenges. An Interview with Gloria Wekker, in The Gloria Wekker Reader, edited by Chandra Frank, Nancy Jouwe and Mikki Stelder 325-342. Duke University Press. 

Schrijvers, L. L. 2025. “Discussing the Secular in Intimate Relationships: Nonreligious-christian Couples”. Secularism and Nonreligion 14 (1): 5. https://doi.org/10.5334/snr.197.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2024. “Race and Religion in Everyday Life: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Christian Privilege Among Female Converts in the Netherlands.” Sociology of Religion, srae006 online first.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2024. “Gender, Power and Conversion in the Everyday Lives of New Jewish Women in the Netherlands.” Contemporary Jewry 44, 129-151. DOI 10.1007/s12397-023-09525-7

Schrijvers, L.L. 2023. “A Critical Reflection on the Intersections of Mixedness, Marriage and Conversion among Female Converts in the Netherlands: ‘But I Did It for Myself.’” Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies 26 (3/4): 257–275. DOI 10.5117/TVGN2023.3/4.004.SCHR

Schrijvers, L.L. 2023. ‘Gender, Gioer en Gebedssjaals: Het Gebruik van een Talliet door Nieuwe Liberale Joodse Vrouwen.’ Religie & Samenleving 18 (1):26-49.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2023. ‘Tussen mannelijk gezag en vrouwelijke kracht: genderparadoxen en vrouwelijke bekeerlingen in Nederlandse pinksterkerken.’ Inspirare 6 (3): 30-39. 

Beekers, D. & Schrijvers, L.L. 2020. ‘Religion, Sexual Ethics, and the Politics of Belonging: Young Muslims and Christians in the Netherlands.’ Social Compass 6(1): 137-156. 

Schrijvers, L.L. 2019. ‘Transition and Authority: Transwomen and Religious Leadership in the Netherlands.’ Religion and Gender 9(1).

Schrijvers, L.L. & Wiering, J. 2018. ‘Religious/secular Discourses and Practices of Good Sex.’ Culture and Religion 19(2): 139-159. DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2018.1444655

van den Brandt, H.P., Schrijvers, L.L., Miri, Amal & Mustafa, Nawal 2018. ‘White Innocence: Reflections on Public Debates and Political-Analytical Challenges – An Interview with Gloria Wekker.’ DiGeSt: Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies 5(1): 67-82.

Geerts, Evelien, Van Raemdonck, An, van den Brandt, H.P., Schrijvers, L.L. & van den Berg, C.A.M. 2018. ‘De Oudejaarsconference van Claudia de Breij – Een Diffractieve, Interdisciplinaire Discussie over (Super)Diversiteit, Gender, Seksualiteit en Religie in de Lage Landen.’ Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies 21(1): 81-104.

Ackermans, H. and L.L. Schrijvers 2017. ‘Introduction: Imaginaries of the Future.’ Junctions: Graduate Journal of the Humanities 2(2): 1-8. 

Schrijvers, L. 2015. ‘”I Can Now Thank God when I Come”: Sex, Faith and the Body in the Lives of Non-Heterosexual Dutch Protestant Women.’ Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies 18(1): 35-53.*

Schrijvers, L.L. 2014. ‘God, seks en liefde: Religie en seksualiteit onder niet-heteroseksuele Nederlandse protestantse vrouwen.’ Tijdschrift Vrouw en Geloof.

Books

Schrijvers, L.L. Conversion, Gender, Race: A Comparative Study of Women Becoming Jewish, Christian, and Muslim in the Netherlands. Routledge series ‘Gendering the Study of Religion in the Social Sciences’.

van den Berg, C.A.M., Schrijvers, L.L., Wiering, J.O. & Korte, A.J.A.C.M. (eds.). 2020. Transforming Bodies and Religions – Powers and Agencies in Europe. London: Routlegde.

Bookchapters

Schrijvers, L.L. 2021. ‘Embodied Conversions and Sexual Selves. New Jewish, Christian and Muslim Women in the Netherlands.’ In Embodying Religion, Gender and Sexuality, edited by Sarah-Jane Page, and Katy Pilcher, 57-75. London: Routledge.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2020. ‘Women Wearing the Tallit: Tracing Gender, Belonging, and Conversion of New Jewish Women.’ In C.A.M. Van den Berg, L.L. Schrijvers, J.O. Wiering & A.J.A.C.M. Korte (Eds.), Transforming Bodies and Religions – Powers and Agencies in Europe, 199-220. London: Routlegde.

van den Berg, C.A.M., Schrijvers, L.L., Wiering, J.O. & Korte, A.J.A.C.M. 2020. ‘Introduction. Transforming Bodies and Religions – Powers and Agencies in Europe.’ In C.A.M. van den Berg, L.L. Schrijvers, J.O. Wiering & A.J.A.C.M. Korte (Eds.), Transforming Bodies and Religions – Powers and Agencies in Europe, 1-18 . London: Routlegde.

2015. Lemmata ‘seksualiteit’ en ‘sex and gender’ voor de hernieuwde uitgave van Woordenboek Filosofie (1992, Harry Willemsen). Peter de Wind, ed. Antwerpen: Garant.

Bookreviews

Schrijvers, L. L. 2020. Book Review. Kenyan, Christian, Queer: Religion, LGBT Activism, and Arts of Resistance in Africa. Etnofoor, 32(2), 119-122.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2019. Jewish Feminism: Framed and Reframed, by Esther Fuchs. Religion and Gender 9(1): 140-143.

Schrijvers, L. 2016. Review of “Religious and Sexual Identities: A Multi-faith Exploration of Young Adults”. Andrew Kam-Tuck Yip and Sarah-Jane Page. Farnham and Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. Religion and Gender 6(2): 326-328.

Schrijvers, L. 2014. Review of “Queer in Europe: Contemporary Case Studies.” Edited by Lisa Downing and Robert Gillett. Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies 17(2):187-191.

Other publications

Schrijvers, L.L. 2021. Queer in geloof: seks, religie en liefde. In Rahil Roodsaz & Katrien De Graeve (red.), Intieme revoluties: Tegendraads in seks, liefde en zorg (pp. 85-100). Amsterdam: Boom. 

Schrijvers, L.L. 2019. ‘Toen ik gelovig werd, werd ik ook lesbisch’ – LHBTQ en bekering onder Nederlandse vrouwen. In Joas Wagemakers & Lucien Van Liere (red.), Wie is er bang voor religie? Waarom kennis van religie belangrijk is (pp. 282-289). Almere: Parthenon.

Schrijvers, L.L. 2019. Nieuwe moslima’s in Nederland. ZemZem, Tijdschrift over het Midden-Oosten, Noord-Afrika en de islam, 2, (pp. 100-103) (4 p.).

Schrijvers, L.L. 2019. “Wat is gender/transgender?” & “Genderfluïditeit”. In Heleen Zorgdrager, Jolanda Molenaar, Wielie Elhorst & Carl Buijs (Eds.), Wondermooi, zoals U mij gemaakt hebt – Handreiking voor gelovige transgender personen en werkers in de kerk (pp. 28-32). Utrecht: KokBoekencentrum Uitgevers.

van den Brandt, H.P. & Schrijvers, L.L. 2017. Is Religie Wel Zo Slecht voor de Gelijkheid en Vrijheid van Vrouwen?. Geen Wereld Zonder Religie: Magazine over de Studies Religiewetenschappen en Islam en Arabisch, Utrecht University, (pp. 22-24) (3 p.).

Schrijvers, L.L. 2016. Women converting to Islam in the Netherlands: ‘van Hagelslag naar Halal’. Cultures, Citizenship and Human Rights PhD blog, Utrecht University.

Dissertation

Schrijvers, L.L. 2022. Questioning the Conversion Paradox: Gender, Sexuality, and Belonging amongst Women Becoming Jewish, Christian, and Muslim in the Netherlands. Utrecht University and Ghent University.