Historical Dictionary of Women in the Middle East and North Africa

Ghada Talhami

Dec 2012 · Scarecrow Press

About this eBook

The overriding theme of this work is that women’s struggles, human rights, myths, and literary expression are indispensable to an understanding of the modern culture and socio-political development of the Middle East region. The work demonstrates that no aspect of Middle Eastern history and modern evolution was shaped in isolation of women’s lives and contributions to society. The dictionary covers the biographies and written work of prominent historical female figures in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as 20th-century feminists, both male and female, who advanced women’s rights over many years.

The Historical Dictionary of Women in the Middle East and North Africa includes a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and a dictionary section that has over 400 cross-referenced entries on various aspects of Middle Eastern feminism and culture, touching upon religious themes such as Sharia laws, Islamic marriage, divorce, and inheritance practices. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the culture and history of women in the Middle East and North Africa.

About the author

Ghada Talhami is D. K. Pearsons Professor of Politics, emerita, at Lake Forest College. She is the past editor of Arab Studies Quarterly and currently serves on the board of editors of the same journal as well as Muslim World. She is the author of several books, including The Mobilization of Muslim Women in Egypt (1996) and Palestine in the Egyptian Press (2007).