|
Showing 1 - 4 of
4 matches in All Departments
An engaging introduction to one of the most visible, controversial
and least understood emblems of Islam The Islamic veil in all its
forms - from the headscarf to the full body garment - is one of the
most visible signs of Islam as a religion. It is also one of its
most controversial and misunderstood traditions among both Muslims
and non-Muslims. In an environment of increasing conservatism in
Euro-American Muslim-majority societies, in a world where a woman's
right to wear the headscarf has become a flashpoint for issues of
all sorts, and at a time when racial and religious profiling has
become commonplace, it is our political and social responsibility
to gain a deeper understanding of veiling. This concise,
easy-to-read and even-handed introduction is organised around three
main topics: the historical, religious and cultural background;
contemporary debates about the veil; and the varied, shifting
meanings the veil has had for Muslim women over the past century.
"Islamicate Sexualities: Translations across Temporal Geographies
of Desire" explores different genealogies of sexuality and
questions some of the theoretical emphases and epistemic
assumptions affecting current histories of sexuality. Concerned
with the dynamic interplay between cultural constructions of gender
and sexuality, the anthology moves across disciplinary fields,
integrating literary criticism with social and cultural history,
and establishes a dialogue between historians (Kathryn Babayan,
Frederic Lagrange, Afsaneh Najmabadi, and Everett Rowson),
comparative literary scholars (Sahar Amer and Leyla Rouhi), and
critical theorists of sexualities (Valerie Traub, Brad Epps, and
Dina al-Kassim). As a whole, the anthology challenges Middle
Eastern Studies with questions that have arisen in recent studies
of sexualities, bringing into conversation Euro-American
scholarship of sexuality with that of scholars engaged in studies
of sexualities across a vast cultural (Iberian, Arabic, and
Iranian) and temporal field (from the tenth century to the medieval
and the modern).
Crossing Borders Love Between Women in Medieval French and Arabic
Literatures Sahar Amer Winner of the 2009 MLA Aldo and Jeanne
Scaglione Prize for comparative literary studies ""Crossing
Borders" is a bold and groundbreaking work. Situated at the nexus
of queer theory and postcolonial medievalism, it interrogates and
seeks to conjoin two significant areas of inquiry: the literary
representation of lesbianism and the influence of Arabic traditions
on medieval French narrative. Working across a range of genres in
both languages, Sahar Amer unearths hitherto unrecognized allusions
to lesbianism in Old French texts, arguing that these represent
traces of Arabic influence on the key genres of romance and
epic."--Sharon Kinoshita, University of California, Santa Cruz "A
must read for scholars working in Arabic and European medieval
studies, postcolonial theory, queer theory, gender and sexuality,
comparative literature, and a variety of other
disciplines."--"Journal of Arabic Literature" Given Christianity's
valuation of celibacy and its persistent association of sexuality
with the Fall and of women with sin, Western medieval attitudes
toward the erotic could not help but be vexed. In contrast,
eroticism is explicitly celebrated in a large number of
theological, scientific, and literary texts of the medieval Arab
Islamicate tradition, where sexuality was positioned at the very
heart of religious piety. In "Crossing Borders," Sahar Amer turns
to the rich body of Arabic sexological writings to focus, in
particular, on their open attitude toward erotic love between
women. By juxtaposing these Arabic texts with French works, she
reveals a medieval French literary discourse on same-sex desire and
sexual practices that has gone all but unnoticed. The Arabic
tradition on eroticism breaks through into French literary writings
on gender and sexuality in often surprising ways, she argues, and
she demonstrates how strategies of gender representation deployed
in Arabic texts came to be models to imitate, contest, subvert, and
at times censor in the West. Amer's analysis reveals Western
literary representations of gender in the Middle Ages as
cross-cultural, hybrid discourses as she reexamines
borders--cultural, linguistic, historical, geographic--not as
elements of separation and division but as fluid spaces of cultural
exchange, adaptation, and collaboration. Crossing these borders,
she salvages key Arabic and French writings on alternative sexual
practices from oblivion to give voice to a group that has long been
silenced. Sahar Amer is Associate Professor of Asian and
International Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill. The Middle Ages Series 2008 264 pages 6 x 9 ISBN
978-0-8122-4087-0 Cloth $59.95s 39.00 ISBN 978-0-8122-0108-6 Ebook
$59.95s 39.00 World Rights Literature, Women's/Gender Studies Short
copy: "Crossing Borders" explores cross-cultural representations of
gender and sexual practices in the medieval French and Arabic
traditions. Amer demonstrates that the medieval Arabic tradition on
eroticism played a determining role in French literary writings on
gender and sexuality in the Middle Ages.
Ranging from simple head scarf to full-body burqa, the veil is worn
by vast numbers of Muslim women around the world. What Is Veiling?
explains one of the most visible, controversial, and least
understood emblems of Islam. Sahar Amer's evenhanded approach is
anchored in sharp cultural insight and rich historical context.
Addressing the significance of veiling in the religious, cultural,
political, and social lives of Muslims, past and present, she
examines the complex roles the practice has played in history,
religion, conservative and progressive perspectives, politics and
regionalism, society and economics, feminism, fashion, and art. By
highlighting the multiple meanings of veiling, the book decisively
shows that the realities of the practice cannot be homogenized or
oversimplified and extend well beyond the religious and political
accounts that are overwhelmingly proclaimed both inside and outside
Muslim-majority societies. Neither defending nor criticizing the
practice, What Is Veiling? clarifies the voices of Muslim women who
struggle to be heard and who, veiled or not, demand the right to
live spiritual, personal, and public lives in dignity.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|