A remarkable, stereotype-shattering, gender-bending study of Middle Eastern women and their efforts to gain equality. Fernea (Middle Eastern Studies/Univ. of Texas) spent two years traveling to Uzbekistan, Morocco, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel asking these questions: Is feminism possible under Islam, a religion that at least on the surface seems to demand that women be subservient to men? And if so, how is Islamic feminism different from Western feminism? Fascinating questions, these. And Fernea (coauthor, The Arab World, 1985, etc.) does an admirable job of chronicling her attempts to answer them. A travelogue of sorts, the book yields some surprises. Chief among them to Western feminists—who almost universally believe feminism is impossible for women hidden behind facial veils—is this: Feminism in the Middle East is alive and well. In Morocco, for instance, at least 20 percent of the judges are women. Not only that, but much of the funding for a major women's research center has come from the government. Which is not to suggest that all is perfect. Women's place under sharia, or Islamic law, remains up for interpretation; Uzbekistani women still rely on abortions as their primary form of birth control. Conversational in tone, the book could have used a little more editing. (Do readers really need the menu for every meal Fernea ate on her voyages?) In her effort to be exacting and fair, Fernea also includes items that do little to advance her narrative. Why, for instance, include details about an interview that never takes place with Safinaz Kassam, an Egyptian literary and drama critic? Don't let the academic-sounding title deter you. This volume explodes the myth that feminism can't take root in lands where Islam rules.
Pub Date: Jan. 7, 1998
ISBN: 0-385-47518-7
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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