Description
Book SynopsisThe author applies a variety of western critical theories, including Marxism, colonial discourse, feminism, and narrative theory, to the autobiographies of several Arab women to demonstrate what these critical methodologies can reveal about Arab women's w
Trade Review"This book is theoretically well-grounded, wide-ranging in its coverage of texts and theories, and eminently readable. Al-Hassan writes with verve and ... without relying on jargon, a refreshing change in a book dealing with texts and textualities." --Asma Barlas, author of "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One. Political Theory: Colonial Discourse, Feminist Theory, and Arab Feminism
- Chapter One. Why Colonial Discourse?
- Chapter Two. Feminism, Nationalism, and Colonialism in the Arab World
- Chapter Three. Huda Shaarawi's Harem Years: The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist
- Part Two. Narrative Theory: Autobiography
- Chapter Four. Autobiography and Sexual Difference
- Chapter Five. Arab Autobiography: A Historical Survey
- Part Three. Analysis of Texts
- Chapter Six. Anthologies
- Chapter Seven. Fadwa Tuqan's Mountainous journey, Difficult journey
- Chapter Eight. Nawal el-Saadawi
- Conclusion. The Literary and the Political
- Appendix
- Translation of the Introduction to the Arabic Edition of Memoirs from the Women's Prison by Nawal el-Saadawi
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
