This course will offer a survey of the history of women in the Middle East from the early Islamic to the modern periods. We will first trace the legal status of women to the ancient Near East and will outline the impact of Qur’anic legislation and the Shari’a on women’s legal and social position.  The second part of the class will focus on the evolution of family law and the role of women in family, the harem, and production in Middle Eastern societies during the early modern period. The third part of this class will examine the role of women in modern economies and the emergence of feminist, nationalist and Islamist discourses. We will discuss the impact of state-led reforms and the discourse on “unveiling” and “veiling” on the status of women.  The diversity of women’s experiences and their own agency in bringing about change will be an important theme of this class.  Throughout the course, a particular emphasis will be placed on a critical evaluation of the existing scholarship.

Requirements
Participation and attendance: 5%
Midterm:  30%
Term paper (8-10 pp.):  35%   
Final exam:  30%

Textbooks:
Keddie & Baron (eds.) Women in Middle Eastern History
Amira El-Azhary Sonbol, Women, the family and Divorce Laws in Islamic History
Jenny White, Islamist Mobilization in Turkey
Erika Friedl, Women of Deh Koh