Description
Book SynopsisMernissi explores the historical links between the religion of Islam, the societal oppression of women, and the suppression of democracy in predominantly Muslim nations.
Trade Review'Required reading' Elizabeth Fernea, The University of Texas at Austin 'If a reader were to select only one book in order to gain insight into women's status and prospects in Islamic society, this study should be the one chosen for its clarity, honesty, depth of knowledge and thought-provoking qualities.' Arab Book World 'A fascinating book' Scotland on Sunday 'This classic work not only describes life beneath the veil but analyses it ... from within.' Tribune 'Fatima Mernissi is a true feminist, candid, articulate and persuasive. One of the most fascinating and instructive features of Beyond the Veil is the way Ms Mernissi approaches her subject, and the distinction she draws between sexual inequality in the West and in Islam.' The Jerusalem Post Magazine 'Mernissi's book should be considered as one of the most successful analyses of theposition of women in a contemporary Islamic society.' Ar Or, Archiv Orientani: Quaterly Journal of African, Asian and Latin American Studies, 1989
Table of ContentsNew Introduction: Why Does the Veil Scare Europe? 7 Introduction: Roots of the Modern Situation 19 Part One The Traditional Muslim View of Women and Their Place in the Social Order 35 1. The Muslim Concept of Active Female Sexuality 37 2. Regulation of Female Sexuality in the Muslim Social Order 57 3. Sex and Marriage Before Islam 77 Part Two Anomic Effects of Modernization on Male-Female Dynamics 99 4. The Modern Situation: Moroccan Data 101 5. Sexual Anomie As Revealed by the Data 110 6. Husband and Wife 122 7. The Mother-in-Law 135 8. The Meaning of Spatial Boundaries 151 9. The Economic Basis of Sexual Anomie in Morocco 162 Conclusion: Women's Liberation in Muslim Countries 181 Notes 195 Index 215
