A delightful, well-written, and vastly informative ethnographic study, this is an account of Fernea's two-year stay in a tiny rural village in Iraq...
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Aug 18, 2008
Rian
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Though the subtitle is "An Ethnography," I was pleasantly surprised to find this book didn't read at all like the dry, clinical anthropological commentaries I've read elsewhere. The writer is the wife of an anthropologist, who accompanies him to Iraq for his graduate work, and as such we see the entire story through her eyes. She lives and eats and works as the women of the village do -- in full hijab -- almost entirely secluded from her husband. I was expecting some sort of pitiabl
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Jan 25, 2009
Brandon
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A late 1950s ethnography of a small town in Iraq. What makes this book particularly interesting is that the research was conducted by a woman. As a result, a different perspective is given then the typical male-written ethnographies of the era. It makes for an interesting read regardless of the readers field because the book is written in novel format.
There are some judgements made by the author that clash with modern anthropological theory. A few times in the novel individuals are More...
There are some judgements made by the author that clash with modern anthropological theory. A few times in the novel individuals are More...
Dec 28, 2011
Becky
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This book was originally published in 1965, and is still in print. Many university students continue to study this book in anthropology courses. It is important to consider the time frame in which this book was written. Elizabeth Warnock Fernea traveled and lived in a small Iraqi village for two years with her anthropologist husband in the late 1950's. Her observations and experiences are the basis for this book.
My sensibilities were challenged early on, in the intro, as the author More...
My sensibilities were challenged early on, in the intro, as the author More...
Jan 17, 2011
Corinne
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In the early 1950s, when Elizabeth Fernea was a young bride, she joined her researcher husband as he journeyed to a remote tribal village in Iraq, to live and study for nearly two years. As a Western woman, Elizabeth chose to integrate herself into tribal society by donning the traditional abayah (the long black cloak/veil), avoiding being seen by unfamiliar men.
Her time in the village is so full of learning, misunderstandings and bizarre experiences. She attends festivals and feasts More...
Her time in the village is so full of learning, misunderstandings and bizarre experiences. She attends festivals and feasts More...
Jul 29, 2008
Liz
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When he came home for Christmas vacation last year, my son (majoring in Middle Eastern Studies) gave each of the women in his life (siblings & mom) this book to read, and set an appointment for us to take some time to discuss before he went back to school. It's the story of a young American woman's first two years of married life living in a tribal settlement on the edge of a village in southern Iraq. It's non fiction, but very readable. A great window into Iraqi culture and history.
Jan 22, 2010
Misha
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A very intriguing read on the culture of a remote Iraqi village. BJ (Elizabeth), the lady in the story, traveled to this village to be with her newly married husband, who was doing work for a research degree. Living in Iraq for two years, she was able to learn arabic well enough to understand conversations and participate. Because BJ adopted the social customs and etiquette of the rural village in which she lived, she was able to be included in the inner circles of the Iraqi women. The book
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Dec 31, 2008
Lauren
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I was just bitching that there weren't enough books about living in the Middle East from female perspectives, and then someone recommended this one to me and it's the best. The author was really plopped in the middle of a remote Iraqi village, where people were totally unfamiliar with American culture and didn't speak English. This wasn't a sheltered account of what it's like to live underneath the veil, and it is so totally shocking. One funny little thing that surprised me, though, was it seem
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Feb 06, 2009
Krenzel
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"Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village" is a fascinating memoir written by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea of the two years she spent in an Iraq village in the 1950s with her husband Bob, who was conducting research for his doctorate. During this time, she and her husband lived in a mud house in a conservative Shiite sect where women were heavily veiled and lived "behind walls" in seclusion, not meeting or mixing with men. In beginning this adventure, the newly
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Jan 30, 2012
Heather
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It was nice to finally read a book about life behind the veil that wasn't depressing! I had to read this book for an Anthropology class I'm taking and was very happy with what I gleaned from it! The veil was in no way portrayed in a negative, oppressive light. Instead, it was seen as practical in ways, protection in others, and as part of tradition! But in this little village, an American woman gained appreciation for not only the veil, but for the culture and women who she slowly grew to lov
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Dec 19, 2010
Sabreen
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I think this book is great, most of the time the author maintains a culturally relative perspective. Its great that a woman was able to write it. Many of the traditions and values of the Iraqis in the small village are portrayed adequately, however this novel is an ethnography so it depicts things through one persons view. And the religious aspects of it our very vivid. I enjoyed this book a lot and think its worth reading. You will learn a lot about the culture. This is not a generalization of
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Apr 04, 2009
Louise
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A thoroughly absorbing, well-written novel. Elizabeth Fernea's entertaining account of her time spent in El Nahra in southern Iraq during the 1950's, is uniquely insightful.
Settling in a new land, learning the language and culture, the ways of the people, and hoping to be accepted would be frightening for anyone. Fernea handled herself with grace and humility and was quickly befriended by the women of El Nahra.
The descriptive narrative left me feeling, hearing, seeing and More...
Settling in a new land, learning the language and culture, the ways of the people, and hoping to be accepted would be frightening for anyone. Fernea handled herself with grace and humility and was quickly befriended by the women of El Nahra.
The descriptive narrative left me feeling, hearing, seeing and More...
Feb 24, 2009
Amy
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A woman accompanies her husband to live in a small town in southern Iraq. There she experiences what it is like to be living as a woman and a foreigner in this rural village mid-century. It's an interesting perspective into a complex culture and I certainly could identify with the author in regards to how she felt living in such a foreign land and having to abide and adopt a way of life that felt both demeaning and isolating. I also enjoyed feeling her tranformation as she gained appreciation
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Jan 21, 2012
I read this book over 25 years ago, and was pleased to find a nice clean copy second-hand. Guests of the Sheik is an ethnographic classic on the lives of women in pre-Saddam Iraq, in the small Shi'ite village of El Nahra. As a narrative work, it lacks the dryness of most such studies, and is an engaging snapshot of village life in the 1950's and early 1960's. One gets a feel for the deep inner lives of these women, and the hidden and essential roles they played in the life of the village.
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Jun 03, 2010
Molly
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The first couple of chapters were not that engaging for me, in fact I almost imposed the 50-page rule, but I'm so glad I didn't. Once the author's life in the village begins, you are drawn into to another world. I became attached to many of the people in this book, and when she and her husband left the village, I felt I too was saying goodbye to good friends. Here 50+ years later I wonder about them, who may still be alive, how much their way of life may have changed. One thing I envied about
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Jan 18, 2010
Jennifer
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The author accompanied her anthropologist husband to a tiny rural village in Iraq in the late 1950s. As a woman, she was able to enter the Iraqi women's world in a way her husband was unable to. This fascinating, touching, and humorous account shows an aspect of life very few outsiders have experienced. Fernea becomes a part of the village and experiences friendships with some of the women. In addition, the couple is newly-wed upon their arrival in Iraq, and the author also describes adjusting t
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Jun 18, 2009
Katie
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This was a required reading book for an introductory anthropology class that I took. It is probably one of my favourite books that I have ever acquired this way. In fact, it was so well-written that until almost halfway through the book, I didn't even notice that the story was 50 years old. I was a little deflated at the end when the story just suddenly came to an end, and I had to remind myself that it was an ethnography, a record of this one particular year, and not a novel.
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Mar 05, 2008
Katie
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This was an intriguing true story that revealed both the daily life and special occasions of the women living in a small village in Iraq fifty years ago. The tale of this author's experience as an American woman living in this village becomes a unique opportunity to learn about the way of life, thoughts and emotions of not only the Iraqi women but also of a foreigner trying to adapt and "fit in". Stereotypes are challenged and often broken by many of the women in the books, including
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Jan 01, 2012
Tyler
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a deeply exploitative and problematic book that breaks about all of the contemporary human subject research guidelines...but tells an amazing story, a personal experience of 1950's Iraq. A major flashpoint between 2nd wave and multicultural feminisms, I wonder if this book is due for a reappraisal now that third-wavers are getting tenure and the confessional style of writing is being re-examined. expect many hurt feelings and fascinating discussions if it is.
Jun 17, 2011
Yvonne
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I read this book for the second time and enjoyed it just as much. I love the frank depiction of life in an Iraqi village through the eyes of a Western woman. So many historical autobiographical accounts are from a man's viewpoint, since only males were allowed to mix in the village life. And, while some of her experiences and views seem too circumscribed to be palatable to the modern reader, it is a glimpse into how things were 60 years ago. Very interesting!
Jan 04, 2010
Amanda
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This is a fantastic book. A little dated as it took place in the 1950s Iraq, but still completely fascinating. I love reading about and learning about cultures that are completely different than mine and this book fulfilled that to great levels. I got completely immersed in the characters and the stories and the topics in this book. I first read this for a "women and religion" class and I loved it so much, I bought it for myself and read it again.
Jan 29, 2009
Julia
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This book is descriptive and enjoyable from start to finish, it simply and effectively describes life for Shiite Muslim women in an Iraqi village in the late '50s from the point of view of a young American woman, though the author herself was not an anthropologist, she recorded her observations well and maintained a good and respectful relationship with these women whose culture so differed from her own.
Jan 07, 2009
Liz
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An interesting, if not outstanding read. For the most part, Fernea's observations are on-par with my impression of women's lives in post-independence Iraq (the book was published in 1965). The chapter on the Muharram celebration (Fernea's host village is Shi'te) was very interesting, but I think what fascinated me most about the book was its difference from the state of the country today.
May 03, 2009
Heather
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I thought this was a very readable account of an American woman's two year stay in an Iraqi village in the mid-1950s. Of course, much of what she described is probably very dated now, but I thought the author did a fairly good job of providing a glimpse into the life and culture of women in the village at that time. In the end, it is a tale of friendship across strong cultural differences and I thought it was written from an interesting perspective. Admittedly, I have not read many personal a
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Jan 24, 2009
Catrina
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I read this book for an english class - wasn't at all what I expected. My favorite part of the book was how it tore down all my judgements about why women wear a veil. It's mainly about Elizabeth's interactions with the women in the town she is staying in. A great primer for learning something about the middle eastern culture.
Nov 02, 2008
Aryn
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Marissa originally suggested this book to me after her trip to Turkey in the summer of 2007. I found a copy used, interested in expanding my knowledge of Islam and it sat on my shelf for a long time until a week ago. For some reason, perhaps the modern looking cover, I expected Guests of the Sheik to be a current ethnography, but it became evident very quickly that this narrative of life in an Iraqi village was published a long while back (in 1965 to be exact). It is an easy read and gives an
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Dec 19, 2010
Tamhack
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This book was good and interesting. It gave a picture of the life of a small Iraqi village and the Muslim traditions and beliefs before the revolution and it was corrupted by the Taliban. It gave insights into the women's lives and developed my respect for them. I learned a lot from this book.
Jun 06, 2009
Kristen
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fascinating and engrossing- truly one of my favorite kinds of books. my only complaint is that I was halfway through the book before I realized it was written 50 years ago, so the amazing culture I was reading about may in fact no longer exist. my next quest will be to find an updated version...
Oct 29, 2008
Weavre
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Picked up at a yard sale when I was still a kid, this book is one of several that undoubtedly contributed to my interest in learning about life in other cultures, about the incredible range of human experience. I still have it, and still remember it--which speaks well for it!
While the world described in these pages has now passed into history, it's worth reading both to understand the possibilities of a different cultural structure and to understand the lifestyle of a previous genera More...
While the world described in these pages has now passed into history, it's worth reading both to understand the possibilities of a different cultural structure and to understand the lifestyle of a previous genera More...
Nov 26, 2010
Kara
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I read this book in middle school and it got me hooked on cultural anthropology. It gave me a life long passion and was absolutely ascinating. I think everyone should read this book and look into other cultures. So many people don't know what is beyond their own borders.
Mar 05, 2009
Heather
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This was a book about Iraq before the war. I really liked it. It helped me understand the culture. I think she did a pretty good job at not being judgemental of their culture which is hard when you are predisposed to be biased by growing up in another culture.
