Important New Book on Gender and Violence in the Middle East

Routledge has just published the volume Gender and Violence in the Middle East. This book is edited by the very talented duo, Moha Ennaji and Fatima Sadiqi. Fatima Sadiqi is a Senior Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies (MA, PhD)and Co-Founder with Moha Ennaji of the International Institute for Languages and Cultures (INLAC) here in Fez, (www.inlac.net). Fatima is also Director of the Isis Center for Women and Development, a UN Gender Expert and President of the National Union of Women's Organizations www.nuwo.org

This book explores the relationship between Islamism, secularism and violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on case studies from across the region, the authors examine the historical, cultural, religious, social, legal and political factors affecting this key issue.


Chapters by established scholars from within and outside the region highlight:

the interconnections of violence and various sources of power in the Middle East: the state, society, and the family
conceptions of violence as family and social practice and dominant discourse
the role of violence as pattern for social structuring in the nation state.

By centring the chapters around these key areas, the volume provides an innovative theoretical and systematic research model for gender and violence in the Middle East and North Africa. Dealing with issues that are not easily accessible in the West, this book underlines the importance of understanding realities and problems relevant to Muslim and Arab societies and discusses possible ways of promoting reforms in the MENA region. As such it will be of great interest to students and scholars of gender studies, sociology, political science and criminal justice.