A delightful, well-written, and vastly informative ethnographic study, this is an account of Fernea's two-year stay in a tiny rural village in Iraq, where she assumed the dress and sheltered life of a harem woman.
Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village
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Review
There are 800 million Muslims in the world today, yet Islam is one of the world's least understood and appreciated religions. The culture of Islamic women and the mystery of a veiled society have endured any number of uninformed or hostile interpretations. Elizabeth Warnock Fernea spent the first two years of her marriage in the 1950s living in El Nahra, a small village in Southern Iraq, and her book is a personal narrative about life behind a veil in a community unaccustomed to Western women. She arrived speaking only a few words of Arabic and feeling dubious about her husband's expectation that she adapt completely to the segregated society in order to accommodate his anthropological study. When she left two years later she was an accepted and loved member of the village, inspired for a lifetime of work in Middle Eastern studies. The story of her life among the Iraqis is eye-opening, written with intellectual honesty as well as love and respect for a seemingly impenetrable society. Although the book was originally published in 1965, it surfaced again during the Gulf War in 1991 when many small villages were destroyed in Southern Iraq. This book gives readers a fuller sense of those communities and brings home the cost of war waged against civilians. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Rebecca Sullivan
From the Publisher
A delightful, well-written, and vastly informative ethnographic study, this is an account of Fernea's two-year stay in a tiny rural village in Iraq, where she assumed the dress and sheltered life of a harem woman.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, suggested to me by a professor, was absolutely engrossing. "BJ" Fernea is newly married and accompanying her anthropologist husband Bob from Chicago to the conservative shiite muslim village of El Nahra, where she spends about 1.5 years in the late 50's living, as the native women do, in purdah, veiled from head to foot and almost completely segregated from men. While her husband conducts his studies, BJ, to help her husband's work, involves herself in the daily lives of the women of El Nahra. There are lavish festivals, rampant poverty, marriages, illness, holy celebrations of mourning, enmities created and friendships formed while BJ finds her way through the minefield of social propriety, familial obligation and hard work that composes the lives of these women.
Educated as a journalist, Fernea describes her sojourn both eloquently and honestly. These people become absolutely real in your mind, and I must admit that I felt a lump rise in my throat at the end as her friends in the village ululated unseen their good wishes and mourning at her while leaving the town.
This is, despite the title, almost exclusively about the women of El Nahra, a very small town in the 50's near Diwaniya in southern Iraq. She sees, and therefore reports, little of the activities of men. This is not a general overview, but for what it is it remains a landmark.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By "teneke"
Format:Paperback
Given the attention on the Middle East, and Iraq in particular, this book should be considered a 'must read.' I still find myself wondering what ended up becoming of the village that showed Elizabeth and Robert such hospitality and acceptance before Iraq became a dirty word to Americans. This book inspired me to locate more books written by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea and I anticipate equally enthusiastic reviews of her other open and honest accounts of life in Arab countries. She has had the opportunity to experience Middle Eastern society in a way so few of us could ever hope. I especially appreciate her objectivity and her ability to respect the way of life that so many people in the West automatically view as inferior. This book is truly a treasure for those open-minded enough to want to learn more about life in the Middle East.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I recently read Guests of the Sheik for one of my classes. Not only did I find the book informative, but I was also so enthralled by it that I found myself neglecting other work. Many of the other books that I have read for my class I find to be cluttered with the author's prejudices. When Fernea to Iraq with her husband she was not a social anthropologist, like her husband. She did not have the base of over-analyzation that many "orientalists" write from. Her book is entirely observation without judgement. If you want to read about women's life in a veiled society, this is perfect. You'll be surprised at what you discover about this culture, which is so often portrayed as oppressive and backwards.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Guests of the Sheik
Fascinating description of a bygone time in the lives of Iraqi women living outside of the big cities, I wish someone could suggest a present day source for comparison.
Published 1 day ago by Beva-diva
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for any cultural anthropology course
This especially works well for supplementary materials for my Sex and Gender course, as well as Cultural Anthropology. A gem.
Published 21 days ago by Dominique R. Coulet Gard
3.0 out of 5 stars
For a Class
Had to read this for a class. I didn't really enjoy it and I wouldn't read it again. It was ok
Published 1 month ago by Karen Warren
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye-opening into a different world.
This is my second copy of this book. The author writes about her and her husbands' experiences for two years in Iraq as a newly married Americans. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Shenanjia
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful ethnography
I loved the author's attitude towards the villagers and her sympathetic recounting of their lives. I recommend this to anyone who will experience living within another culture.
Published 1 month ago by Satisfied Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
looks like an interesting book to read, but bought for a class. it was a class requirement. good condition book.
Published 2 months ago by ISLANDGIRL03
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really helpful
I was really irratied that they didnt let me know how they were sending the product, but when i emailed them they got back to me as soon as the book reached them and resent it to... Read more
Published 12 months ago by NeonSkillet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, needed it for my class.
What can I say, it was the book required for my class. It arrived on time and in good shape, thanks.
Published 20 months ago by dwjensen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kudos
I picked this book up in the library, intrigued by the cover, and discovered a beautifully written account of one American woman's unique experience among the Shiites in Iraq. Read more
Published on July 12, 2009 by Shareen
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Window into an Iraqi Village
Wow! This was an eye opener for me. I have spent over thirty months on three different combat tours in Iraq. Read more
Published on March 12, 2009 by S. Miska
