Engendering Citizenship in Egypt [Hardcover]

Selma Botman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 023111298X | ISBN-13: 978-0231112987 | Publication Date: February 15, 1999 0

This book explores the concept of citizenship in Egypt and identifies the forces that have institutionally controlled women since the turn of the twentieth century. How is citizenship defined in Egypt and by whom? Selma Botman seeks to understand how political culture in Egypt has developed, how women have asserted themselves in public life, and how they have been limited and sometimes excluded from the political process. Botman demonstrates that women's social inferiority derives from law and custom, but points out that slow industrialization contributes to inequality in the workplace. She considers three areas of interaction in Egypt: the social organization of power, the ideological and institutional means of controlling women sexually, and the sexual division of labor. These topics highlight the complexity and interdependence of men's and women's activities and offer insight into the nature of political organization, the sources of political power, and the implications of hierarchical domination. In this decade-by-decade survey beginning with Egypt's independence from British rule, Botman shows how women's identity was constrained by social and political patriarchal structures. Even during Egypt's period of nation-building, when women won the right to vote, the responsibilities of housekeeping and child-rearing were still the strict province of women. Tracing an entrenched system of male hegemony-in the household and in the state-this study illustrates the changing yet ever restricted role of women in Egyptian society. Up to the present rise of Islamic fundamentalism, where gender inequality continues, Botman looks to the movement for Egyptian democratization as the best hope for gender equality in Egypt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The challenge to achieve democracy with full human rights for women as citizens in Egypt and elsewhere, by extension, is the greatest strength of Botman's work. She argues that democratic transformation must occur at every level of society from the family to the state, which can explain why Egypt's considerable feminist activism has yielded uneven results. -- Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban Rhode Island College

Review

The challenge to achieve democracy with full human rights for women as citizens in Egypt and elsewhere, by extension, is the greatest strength of Botman's work. She argues that democratic transformation must occur at every level of society from the family to the state, which can explain why Egypt's considerable feminist activism has yielded uneven results.

(Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Rhode Island College )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (February 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 023111298X
• ISBN-13: 978-0231112987
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,159,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars women's roles in a male world, May 27, 2000

By 

Tia (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engendering Citizenship in Egypt (Paperback)

I read this book to better my understanding of issues in the Middle East, and more specificly, women in the Middle East. I am an outright feminist and, as an independent project, I am researching the role of women in many different locations of the world. One location is the Middle East, and this book provided me with a lot of background infromation and gave me specific examples that I could site in my papper. A VERY useful tool for all Middle Eastern historians and Women's studies majors.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quite useful resource, December 27, 2001

By 

harriet johnston (Athenry, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engendering Citizenship in Egypt (Paperback)

I personally found this book very useful in understanding the status of women in Egypt, but also the entire Mid-East. I was able to see that female discrimination did not end in Afghanistan with the Taliban. This book shed a light on an under-represented area of social studies (in my opinion). I would recommend it fully.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pertinant, April 3, 2002

By 

joey (Royal Oak, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engendering Citizenship in Egypt (Hardcover)

I learned a lot about the current situation in the mid-east when I read this for class. It is so interesting to see a devout country that doesn't do the whole Jihad thing against America. I would recommend this book RIGHT NOW. you should get it and learn about the REAL situation there. great stuff.