"This collection provides in-depth analyses of the formal and informal attempts Arab women's organizations and movements have undertaken to promote women's rights, going back to the beginning of the 20th century. By carefully tracing the origins and development of women's organizations in the region, the authors reveal the internal and external challenges faced by women activists as they struggle to promote their cause. These challenges include tribalism, religious conservatism, illiteracy, and the absence of democratic institutions. One chapter examines Muslim women's organizations in the US and Canada. Whether encouraging women to know their equitable rights in Islam or dealing with domestic violence within their communities, these organizations continue the long legacy of Muslim women's struggle for justice. Recommended."--Choice

Pernille Arenfeldt is assistant professor of history at the American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). Her research and teaching interests are centered on early modern Europe and the modern/contemporary history of the Arabian Gulf, with a particular focus on gender-related questions. Nawar Al-Hassan Golley is associate professor of critical theory and women's studies at the American University of Sharjah. Her research and teaching interests are focused on feminism and women's studies, Arab women's writings, autobiography and post-colonial literatures and discourses. Al-Hassan Golley is the author of Reading Arab Women's Autobiographies, Shahrazad Tells Her Story and editor of Arab Women's Lives Retold. Exploring Identity Through Writing.

Notes of Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction Pernille Arenfeldt & Nawar Al-Hassan Golley Chapter 1 Arab Women's Movements: Developments, Priorities, and Challenges Pernille Arenfeldt & Nawar Al-Hassan Golley Chapter 2 Convergences and Divergences: Egyptian Women's Activisms over the Last Century Leslie Lewis Chapter 3 Challenges and Opportunities: The Woman's Movement in Syria Pauline Homsi Vinson & Nawar al-Hassan Golley Chapter 4 The Iraqi Women's Movement: Past and Contemporary Perspectives Nadje al-Ali Chapter 5 Women's Rights Activism in Lebanon Rita Stephan Chapter 6 Harvests of the Golden Decades: Contemporary Women's Activism in Jordan Ibtesam al-Atiyat Chapter 7 Discovering the Positive within the Negative: Palestinian Women's Movements Eileen Kuttab Chapter 8 A Long, Quiet, and Steady Struggle: The Women's Movement in Yemen Amel Nejib al-Ashtal Chapter 9 Fashioning the Future: The Women's Movement in Kuwait Mary Ann Tétreault, Helen Rizzo, & Doron Shultziner Chapter 10 The 'Makings' of a Movement 'by Implication': Assessing the Expansion of Women's Rights in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 1971 until today Vânia Carvalho Pinto Chapter 11 North American Muslim Women's Movements and the Politics of Islamic Feminine Hermeneutics Hanadi al-Samman Appendix Women's Movements in the Gulf Countries United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Centre for Women. The Status of Arab Women. 2005 Bibliography Index