| Western Representations of the Muslim Woman: From Termagant to Odalisque Contributor(s): Kahf, Mohja (Author) |
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ISBN: 0292743378 ISBN-13: 9780292743373 Publisher: University of Texas Press OUR PRICE: $24.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 1999 Annotation: "An insightful and provocative book. With an impressive knowledge of European literature from the medieval period to the mid-nineteenth century and in command of literary and feminist criticisms as well as Islamic history, Mohja Kahf unearths and revives conveniently forgotten images of Muslim women. This fascinating genealogy-- relegated to oblivion, pushed in the footnotes, forced into invisibility-- reveals the evolving images of the Muslim women in the West." -- Farzaneh Milani, Associate Professor of Persian and Women's Studies, University of Virginia Veiled, secluded, submissive, oppressed-- the "odalisque" image has held sway over Western representations of Muslim women since the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Yet during medieval and Renaissance times, European writers portrayed Muslim women in exactly the opposite way, as forceful queens of wanton and intimidating sexuality. In this illuminating study, Mohja Kahf traces the process through which the "termagant" became an "odalisque" in Western representations of Muslim women. Drawing examples from medieval chanson de geste and romance, Renaissance drama, Enlightenment prose, and Romantic poetry, she links the changing images of Muslim women to changes in European relations with the Islamic world, as well as to changing gender dynamics within Western societies. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Islam - General - Social Science | Women's Studies - Literary Criticism |
| Dewey: 305.486 |
| LCCN: 98-41903 |
| Physical Information: 0.48" H x 5.99" W x 8.92" (0.67 lbs) 219 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Islamic - Sex & Gender - Feminine |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Veiled, secluded, submissive, oppressed--the odalisque image has held sway over Western representations of Muslim women since the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Yet during medieval and Renaissance times, European writers portrayed Muslim women in exactly the opposite way, as forceful queens of wanton and intimidating sexuality. In this illuminating study, Mohja Kahf traces the process through which the termagant became an odalisque in Western representations of Muslim women. Drawing examples from medieval chanson de geste and romance, Renaissance drama, Enlightenment prose, and Romantic poetry, she links the changing images of Muslim women to changes in European relations with the Islamic world, as well as to changing gender dynamics within Western societies. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kahf, Mohja: - Mohja Kahf is Assistant Professor in the English Department and the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. |