Description
Book SynopsisA rich and engrossing account of ''sexual outlaws'' in the Hausa-speaking region of northern Nigeria, where Islamic law requires strict separation of the sexes and different rules of behavior for women and men in virtually every facet of life.
- The first ethnographic study of sexual minorities in Africa, and one of very few works on sexual minorities in the Islamic world
- Engagingly written, combining innovative, ethnographic narrative with analyses of sociolinguistic transcripts, historical texts, and popular media, including video, film, newspapers, and song-poetry
- Analyzes the social experiences and expressive culture of yan daudu (feminine men in Nigerian Hausaland) in relation to local, national, and global debates over gender and sexuality at the turn of the twenty-first century
- Winner of the 2009 Ruth Benedict Prize in the category of Outstanding Monograph
Trade Review"This text provides some challenging insights into the whole arena of identity construction at individual and group levels." (
PsycCRITIQUES, January 2010)
"Both scholarly and enthralling, Allah Made Us succeeds in introducing us to a fascinating world usually hidden from Western view, as well as making a strong case for how sexual and gender expression and—its transgression—is deeply embedded in individual cultures." (Gay & Lesbian Review, November 2009)
Table of ContentsList of Figures viii
Acknowledgments ix
Notes on Orthography, Translation and Transcription xiii
1 Introducing 'Yan Daudu 1
2 People of the Bariki 29
3 Out in the Open 61
4 Women's Talk, Men's Secrets 89
5 Playing with Faith 117
6 Men on Film 143
7 Lost and Found in Translation 175
Epilogue: May God Keep a Secret 196
Glossary of Hausa terms 206
Bibliography 210
Index 228
