Mai Yamani
Published: 1996-12
Total Pages: 400
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"In an age when Western feminism is continuously undergoing redefinition, the struggles of women in Muslim countries are often overlooked. This volume illustrates how women in Islamic societies have become more actively involved not only in learning their rights under the shari'a (Islamic law) but in rereading this law to improve their status and gain increased equality and freedom. Surveying Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, and Arab societies in general, Feminism and Islam brings together renowned women researchers and academics -- historians, political scientists, lawyers, sociologists, social anthropologists, and literary critics -- to examine the examine the phenomenon of feminism within the Islamic cultural framework. Introducing a feminism which is "Islamic" in its form and context, the essays focus on such subjects as crimes of honor and the construction of gender in Arab societies; law and the desire for social control; women and entrepreneurship; family legislation; and the political strategies of feminists in the Islamic world." -- Back cover