Gender and National Identity: Women and Politics in Muslim Societies

Gender and National Identity: Women and Politics in Muslim Societies

by ValentineM.Moghadam (Author)

Synopsis

Gender politics exist inevitably in all Islamist movements that expect women to assume the burden of a largely male-defined tradition. Even in secular political movements in the Muslim world - notably those anti-colonial national liberation movements where women were actively involved- women have experiences since independence a general reversal of the gains made. This collection, written by women from the countries concerned, explores the gender dynamics of a variety of political movements with very different trajectories to reveal how nationalism, revolution and Islamization are all gendered processes. The authors explore women's experiences in the Algerian national liberation movement and more recently the fundamentalist FIS; similarly their involvement in the struggle to construct a Bengali national identity and independent Bangladeshi state; the events leading to the overthrow of the Shah and subsequent Islamization of Iran; revolution and civil war in Afghanistan; and the Palestinian Intifada. This book argues that in periods of rapid political change, women in Muslim societies are in reality central to efforts to construct a national identity.

$70.98

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Edition: 1
Publisher: Zed Books
Published: Jun 1994

ISBN 10: 185649246X
ISBN 13: 9781856492461

Media Reviews
'Nationalism, national liberation and national identity cannot be fully understood without reference to gender. This book casts new light on the relationship between revolutionary movements in Muslim societies, and issues of gender and women's status. I recommend it for those interested in women and Islam, women and development, and gender and political change.'
Kumari Jayawardena, author of Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World

'The authors enable us to see old problematics in a new light. Their analyses disturb common stereotypes and stimulate new questions. Important and timely.'
V. Spike Peterson, University of Arizona
Author Bio
Valentine M Moghadam is a senior research fellow at the World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER), Helsinki.