Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East: The Egyptian Women's Movement (Cambridge Middle East Studies, Series Number 14)

Cambridge Middle East Studies #14

by Nadje Al-Ali

Nadje Al-Ali's book explores the anthropological and political significance of secular-oriented activism by focusing on the women's movement in Egypt; in so doing, it challenges stereotypical images of Arab women as passive victims. The argument is constructed around interviews that afford insights into the history of the movement, its activities and its goals. The author frames her work around current theoretical debates in Middle Eastern and postcolonial scholarship.

Genres: History, Egypt, Feminism

Paperback

First published July 26, 1996

About the author

Nadje Sadig Al-Ali (Arabic: نادية صادق العلي‎) is the author of Iraqi Women: Untold Stories From 1948 to the Present. and co-author with Nicola Pratt of What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq. Born to an Iraqi father and German mother, and having lived in Egypt for several years and being involved in the Egyptian women's movement, Al-Ali is also Professor of Gender Studies at the Center for Gender Studies at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS).

Al-Ali graduated from the University of Arizona (BA), University of Cairo (MA) and received a PhD from the anthropology department of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 1998. She is currently chairing the Centre for Gender Studies at SOAS. She is also President of the Association of Middle East Women's Studies (AMEWS), and a member of the Feminist Review Collective.

Alongside her academic career, Nadje Al-Ali is a political activist and was a founder of the Iraqi British organisation Act Together: Women's Action for Iraq in 2000. She is also a member of the London branch of Women in Black, a worldwide network of women who are against war and violence.

Many of her publications reflect the lives of Iraqi women and recent struggle to voice their opinions during the US-led invasion of Iraq.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Hanna]

This is a fantastic overview of the secular Egyptian women's movements, and particularly engaging to read (even if it is over a decade old).