Synopses & Reviews
This collection introduces the reader to the women of Arab/Palestinian society, their social and political roles, and the challenges they face. In her introduction, Suha Sabbagh outlines the role of women in the struggles of Gaza and the West Bank. She demonstrates that neither the international media nor Arab commentators have accurately assessed the contributions of women's institutions or the support of traditional women for the Intifada. What impact will the politicization of these traditional women have on the predicated social transformations in the emerging Palestinian state? Will the women seek to alter their role in society, and what will be the response to their attempts? The essays in this multidisciplinary work, written from an "insider's" perspective, seek to answer these questions.
Synopsis
"... takes a new look at the situation in one of the hottest spots on the globe and asks what impact the politicization of women will have on the lives of people in the emerging Palestinian state." --NWSA Journal
This volume introduces the reader to the social and political roles and challenges faced by women of Arab/Palestinian society. Even Arabic commentators have failed to accurately assess the contributions of women within the struggles of Gaza and the West Bank. These essays, written from an "insider's" perspective, show how Palestinian women confront issues of gender, feminism, and the national agenda.
About the Author
Suha Sabbagh teaches Women's Studies at the Foreign Students program at Birzeit University on the West Bank and is the former director of the Institute for Arab Women's Studies in Washington D.C. She has published extensively on gender in the Arab world and in Arabic literature and is the author of Arab Women Between Defiance and Restraint.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Suha Sabbagh
Section One: Defining the Role of Women
The Women's Movement During the Intifada--Joost R. Hiltermann
Patterns of Relations Within the Palestinian Family--Islah Jad. Translated by Magda Abu Hassabo
West Bank Women and The Intifada: Revolution within the Revolution--Philipa Strum
The Development of the Palestinian Women's Movement in the Occupied Territories--Zahira Kamal
Section Two: How Culture Recorded Women's Role
Gender in the Poetry of the Intifada--Ilham Abu Ghazaleh
Women in the Legends of the Intifada--Sharif Kanaana
Interview With a Woman Novelist: Sahar Khalifeh--Suha Sabbagh
Short Stories--Hanan Mikhail Ashrawi
Section Three: The Double Burden of Women: Tradition and Occupation
Women in the Intifada--Robin Morgan
Gender Relations During the Three Psycho-developmental Phases Under Occupation: An Interview with
Dr. Eyad el-Sarraj--Suha Sabbagh
Interview with Hanan Ashrawi about the History of the Women's Movement--Dima Zalatimo
Interviews with Five Women Activists--Sahar Khalifeh. Translated by Nagla el-Bassiouni
Intifada Year Four: Notes on the Women's Movement--Rita Giacaman and Penny Johnson
Section Four: Anticipations After Oslo
Palestinian Women's Activism After Oslo--Amal Kawar
The Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Women's Rights: An Analysis--Suha Sabbagh