About the Book
The war in Iraq has put the condition of Iraqi women firmly on the
global agenda. For years, their lives have been framed by state
oppression, economic sanctions and three wars. Now they must play a
seminal role in reshaping their country’s future for the twenty-first
century.
Nadje Al-Ali challenges the myths and misconceptions
which have dominated debates about Iraqi women, bringing a much needed
gender perspective to bear on the central political issue of our time. She
traces the political history of Iraq from post-colonial independence, to
the emergence of a women’s movement in the 1950s and Saddam Hussein’s
early policy of state feminism. The book also discusses the increases in
social conservatism, domestic violence and prostitution, and shows that,
far from being passive victims, Iraqi women have been, and continue to be,
key political actors. Following the invasion and occupation, al-Ali
analyses the impact of Islam on women’s lives and argues that US-led calls
for liberation may in the long term serve to oppress the women of Iraq
further.
Contents
Introduction
1. Living in the Diaspora
2. Living with the
Revolution: Life in the 1950s and 1960s
3. Living with the Baath: Days
of Plenty and State Repression
4. Living with Wars on Many Fronts
5. Living with Sanctions
6. Living in Post-Baath
Iraq
Conclusion
About the Author
Nadje Al-Ali is Senior Lecturer in social anthropology in the Institute
of Arab & Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. Her recent
publications include Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle
East (2000) and New Approaches to Migration (2002). She is
also a founding member of Act Together: Women's Action on Iraq
and a member of Women in Black.