<p>The relationship between religion and women`s agency has been reexamined, as many societies are experiencing a shake-up of the traditional gender order because of the influence of globalization. The central question in this discussion is whether religion molds women's bodies into existing gender roles or empowers them to act otherwise. With these questions in mind, this paper compares three theories of “agency,” referring to women's studies in contemporary Islamic societies. </p> <p>First, post-structuralism focuses on the most vulnerable women in society and attempts to find their agency in various resistance tactics that they use to counter the pressures of social structures, including religion. Second, the theory of selfdisciplining, which anthropologist Saba Mahmood advocates, targets middle-class women in non-Western countries and discusses how women's agency develops from “piety to Islam” ―not from being free from religion, as liberal feminists expect. Third, post-traditionalism, which Satoshi Adachi formulated based on Anthony Giddensʟ social theory, focuses on the second generation of Muslim women in Western countries. This theory finds women`s agency in their daily efforts to construct a positive religious identity and join the Western world as Muslim citizens by reinterpreting Islamic teaching.</p> <p>In the concluding section, I discuss that it is a more useful strategy for postcolonial feminists to use multiple methodologies to understand the diverse experiences and agencies of Muslim women with different interests and priorities, while post-traditionalism can include a broader range of subjects for research in contemporary society, where information technology and women`s higher education are increasingly prevalent.</p>