Women In The Medieval Islamic World (The New Middle Ages)

Women In The Medieval Islamic World (The New Middle Ages)

Women often appear invisible in what is widely perceived as the male-oriented society of Islam. Women in the Medieval Islamic World seeks to redress the balance with a series of original essays on women in the pre-modern phase of Islamic history. The reader will encounter here a colorful portrait gallery of rulers, politicians, poets and patrons, as well as some larger than life fictitious females from the pages of Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature. No less authentic are the accounts of quiet or troubled lives of ordinary women preserved in the court records of Mamluk Egypt and Ottoman Turkey, reminders that historical research can resuscitate the lives of subaltern as well as elite women from the past. For people who believe that Muslim women, especially medieval Muslim women, have no history, this book demonstrates the ways in which research by twenty international scholars - sometimes working in their own distinct fields and sometimes in overlapping areas - can bring into focus the role and contribution of women in the development of Islamic history. There will no longer be an excuse for their exclusion.From Library JournalAmericans and Europeans have long harbored a stereotype of the Islamic woman as a passive creature, without rights, veiled and locked away in a harem. While some contemporary Islamic regimes have helped foster this image, the true portrait of Islamic women is far richer and more diverse. This volume, to which 20 scholars have contributed, is part of "The New Middle Ages," a series of transdisciplinary studies of medieval cultures with an emphasis on recovering women's roles in these societies. It shows that the range of activities that medieval Islamic women engaged in was not inferior to that pursued by women in Europe. We are presented with stories of fictitious and historical women as tribal warriors, rulers of states, builders of religious and cultural edifices, and armed retainers guarding the families and property of male Muslim rulers. Most overviews of Islam have offered little coverage of the lives of Muslim women, but this work goes a long way toward rectifying that oversight. Both students of Islam and of women's studies should find this anthology useful and interesting. Recommended for academic and large public libraries with significant holdings in Islamic and women's studies.?Robert Andrews, Duluth P.L., MNCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Review"A tantalizing glimpse into the forgotten world of women in Islamic history." --"Choice""This collection is a welcome contribution to the study of women and medieval Islam." --"MELA Notes"?A tantalizing glimpse into the forgotten world of women in Islamic history.? -"Choice"?This collection is a welcome contribution to the study of women and medieval Islam.? -"MELA Notes"0;A tantalizing glimpse into the forgotten world of women in Islamic history.1; 2;"Choice"0;This collection is a welcome contribution to the study of women and medieval Islam.1; 2;"MELA Notes"" A tantalizing glimpse into the forgotten world of women in Islamic history." -- "Choice"" This collection is a welcome contribution to the study of women and medieval Islam." -- "MELA Notes"About the AuthorGavin R.G. Hambly is Professor of History at the University of Texas at Dallas.