Open AccessWomen and the Family in the Middle East
Author(s) -
Feroza Allee
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
american journal of islam and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2690-3741
pISSN - 2690-3733
DOI - 10.35632/ajis.v2i2.2776
Subject(s) - middle east , disappointment , honor , indigenous , islam , kinship , gender studies , identity (music) , sociology , geography , history , political science , psychology , anthropology , law , social psychology , art , ecology , archaeology , aesthetics , computer science , biology , operating system
For anyone interested in the Middle East, Wmen and the Family in theMiddle East provides a fascinating study of the lives of present day Arabwomen. Ten countries - Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Algeria,Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya are represented here, and two contributions dealwith the women of Palestine.The book is in part a progress report - statements by women and menabout their lives and their experiences. These statements, previouslyunpublished, are offered in different forms: short stories, essays, interviews,poems, social analyses, and life histories.Throughout the book there is an underlying sense of urgency, anxiety aboutthe future, disappointment that many of the revolutionary promises have notbeen kept. But above all, there is hope, because these women and men wishto survive with honor.One important shift evident in the book is that these people are no longerlooking to the West for answers to their problems. They are trying to improvetheir lives through indigenous traditions and customs; through the dominantreligion of the area, Islam, and through their own kinship and family patterns.There is continued emphasis on women and men as elements of a group,rather than as individuals. Middle Eastern women see the existing problemsnot only as their own but also as conditions involving men, the family, andthe wider society. Self-identity for them is rooted in other sets of relationships.Fernea has divided the book into 8 parts. There is also a preface, anintroduction, and notes on the contributors.part 1 is the Introduction which also includes a discussion by Algerian womenon the need for change.Part 2 deals with the Family. The Arab family is the basic unit of socialorganization. It constitutes the basic social institution through which personsand groups inherit their religious, social class, and cultural identities. It alsoprovides security and support in times of stress. However, the patriarchal tradition,and the hierarchical structure of the Arab family is now being increasinglychallenged. Sharabi in his study of the Arab family concludes that "the ...