Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate [Paperback]

Leila Ahmed Ph.D (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300055838 | ISBN-13: 978-0300055832 | Publication Date: July 28, 1993

This book presents an historical overview of women and gender in Islam. It is written from a feminist perspective, using the analytic tools of contemporary gender studies. The results of its investigations cast new light on the issues covered.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This survey examines the historical roots and contemporary condition of Islamic discourse on gender.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"With impressive scholarship, lucid style and a theoretical approach elegantly in command of both feminist and Islamic perspectives, Leila Ahmed . . . helps unravel the mysteries of gender and women in Islam. . . . The passion Ahmed feels for the plight of Middle Eastern women is matched only by her commitment to a style of scholarship that is parsimonious, sober, rigorous and dispassionate. . . . The thematically rich arguments of her book are centered on debunking the Islamic and colonialist myths about Muslim women, as well as correcting what she feels are erroneous assumptions made by some Western feminists."

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (July 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300055838
• ISBN-13: 978-0300055832
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > History
  • #95 in Books > History > Middle East

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A serious work with no apologies for her feminism, July 25, 2001

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate (Paperback)

This book was assigned reading in my NYU course about the Middle East. Written by Leila Ahmed, a professor of Near Eastern studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Director of the Women's Studies program there, it reinforced some basic information we studied from other textbooks, with a particular emphasis on women's role in Middle Eastern history. The book is well researched, with little-known documentation from pre-Islamic history on up to the present, citing what is known of ancient marriage laws and including literary writings and histories of some 19th and 20th Century women writers. Her particular feminist position is apparent throughout and there are no apologies for this. Often she writes about the veil and blames colonialism for using it as a misunderstood interpretation of women's subjugation.

The second half of her book concentrates specifically on Egypt and it was fascinating. However, I would have liked to see more about the other countries, especially as she got into modern times. I also would have enjoyed reading her insights about the changes and challenges occurring today. It is refreshing to see a serious work such as this written by an Islamic woman and I hope she continues bringing her skills in research and interpretation to the public. Recommended.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Anyone Interested in Women in Islam, December 10, 1999

By 

H. Adiele (Wasington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate (Paperback)

Leila Ahmed's WOMEN AND GENDER IN ISLAM is a wonderfully iconoclastic history of ideas about Muslim women. Cheerfully debunking every stereotype American readers have about women in the Islamic heartland, Ahmed weaves together theological and literary sources, statistics and travelers' tales, to create a narrative far more complex and even-handed than any other I have read on the topic. Her focus is on the development of ideas rather than the physical details of women's lives, yet many individual women sparkle in her tale. Whether she is identifying the cultural influences which led early Islam toward misogyny and away from egalitarianism (elements of both misogyny and egalitarianism existing in Arab society and thought at the time) or showing how Muslim modernizers were influenced by colonial European racism (which used a pseudo-feminism to denigrate traditional non-Western cultures), her writing is sophisticated and graceful. Never heavy or dogmatic, careful to limit her conclusions and generalizations, Ahmed's integrity is matched only by her feminism. She would be the first to suggest how much more work needs to be done in the study of Muslim women, but WOMEN AND GENDER IN ISLAM is a marvelous beginning.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and informative., October 16, 2001

By 

A. Bouardi (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate (Paperback)

Leila Ahmed gives a brilliant and informative read about the history of women in Islam. Her book maintains both factual information along with anecdotal pieces which only enhance our understanding of the lives involved in the religion and politics of Islamic civilisations. While the book focuses on Egypt, it should be understand that Egypt is taken as a very typical regime with the exception of perhaps Morocco and Saudi Arabia as polar extremes. Ahmed clearly has a humanistic objective of equality in all her points, though never too harshly. The book carries a very clear picture of issues and can even help a lot of us consider what Western false concepts of female equality we truly have.