A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi ArabiaSaudi women are often described as either victims of patriarchal religion and society or successful survivors of discrimination imposed on them by others. Madawi Al-Rasheed goes beyond these images to explore the historical, political, and religious forces that made them enjoy far fewer rights than their counterparts in other parts of the Muslim world. Under the patronage of the state and its religious nationalism, women became hostage to political projects in which they must represent contradictory expectations. As symbols of both piety and modernity, women's emancipation is delayed and thwarted. Drawing on state documents, media sources, and women's voices, Al-Rasheed explores persistent gender inequality in what many Saudis and outsiders consider a unique situation. She examines the intersection between gender, religion, and politics that perpetuates women's exclusion. The author unveils projects initiated by the state, social controversies, religious rulings, and vibrant debates that dominate discussions of the 'woman question'. While women's struggle for greater recognition and equality has already started, the author sees light at the end of the tunnel. -- Publisher's website. |
Contents
From Religious Revival to Religious Nationalism | 43 |
The State as Benevolent Educator | 77 |
Fatwas on Women in the 1980s | 108 |
The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity | 134 |
Women in Search of Themselves | 175 |
Celebrity Women Novelists and the Cosmopolitan Fantasy | 212 |
Women Preachers and Activists | 244 |
Light at the End of the Tunnel | 280 |
Glossary | 297 |
| 303 | |
| 315 | |
Other editions - View all
A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi Arabia Madawi Al-Rasheed Limited preview - 2013 |
A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi Arabia Madawi Al-Rasheed No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
Abdullah activists al-Arabiyya al-askar al-Bishr al-Khamis al-Saad al-Sheikh allowed Arab aspired authoritarian became become Beirut central centres challenge Commanding Right contemporary context cosmopolitan cultural debate discourse driving economic educated women elite emancipation employment Fatawi fatwas female fiction forbidding wrong foreign forums gender girls highlight Hijazi Hind hisba historical Ibn Baz Ibn Saud identity ikhtilat important initiatives institutions Islamic Islamist issues Jeddah Jihadi king liberal Madawi Al-Rasheed male marginalisation marriage masculine Mecca mixing mobilisation modernity mother Muhammad Muslim Najd Najdi novel Nura oil wealth opportunities organisation participation patriarchy piety political preachers princess public sphere reflected religion religious nationalism religious opinions religious scholars remain restrictions Right and Forbidding Riyadh role Saudi Arabia Saudi society Saudi women schools sex segregation sexual sharia shaykh Shia social state’s teachers tion tradition tribal ulama voices Wahhabi Wahhabi religious Wahhabiyya woman women novelists writing young