Feminism, Power and Political Narratives

Dr Rim-Sarah Alouane is a legal scholar and associate researcher specializing in freedom of religion, discrimination, comparative law, constitutional law, and human rights. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Law from Toulouse Capitole University, where her doctoral research examined the practice of reasonable accommodation in protecting freedom of religion in Canada and France.
Her expertise has led her to lecture at leading institutions worldwide, including Georgetown University, Emory University, University of Texas at Austin, George Washington University, and Harvard Law School.
Her work has been featured in leading international outlets, including the Atlantic Council, Brookings Institution, Foreign Policy, and The New York Times. She was named to the European Young Leaders Class of 2023 by Friends of Europe.
A frequent commentator in international media, Rim-Sarah regularly appears on outlets including NPR, Al Jazeera, BBC, CBC, and France 24, where she discusses discrimination, human rights, and politics.

Naz Shah is the Labour MP for Bradford West. Elected to Parliament in 2015. Shah has served her constituents for over a decade, holding senior frontbench roles including Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Shadow Home Office Minister and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities. She has also served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and championed legislation on issues affecting some of the UK’s most vulnerable communities.

Rosieda Shabodien is a South African writer, executive coach, and gender and development specialist whose work spans creative nonfiction, women’s leadership and public advocacy. Raised in Elsies River, Cape Town, she has written candidly about growing up amid poverty and trauma, experiences that continue to shape both her writing and her commitment to telling authentic South African stories.

Her work explores memory, identity, faith, family and the enduring legacy of apartheid, examining how personal lives are shaped by wider social and political forces. In 2024, she published What Women Want Coaches to Know: A Gender-Intelligent Coaching Approach, drawing on her extensive experience supporting women in leadership and professional development.

Shabodien has spoken of writing as a way of recovering memory, making sense of lived experience and finding language for the emotional complexity of everyday life. Through both her fiction and nonfiction, she has established herself as a distinctive voice in contemporary South African literature, championing testimony, social justice and the transformative power of storytelling.

Tasneem Chopra OAM is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, MC and Cross-cultural consultant whose award winning work champions inclusion, leadership and social change. With over 800 clients across the globe, Tasneem is sought after for her signature wit, warmth and captivating stage presence.
She has charmed audiences at AGM’s, flagship Keynotes, IDERD, IWD, academic conferences, Writers Festivals, policy launches and more.
A published writer, TEDx presenter and media commentator featured on the ABC, SBS, BBC, and Al Jazeera, Tasneem has been recognised with an Order of Australia for advancing equity, is the inaugural Ambassador for Women of Colour Australia and a former Anti Racism Champion with the Australian Human Rights Commission.