Contesting Realities: Public Sphere and Morality in Southern Yemen (Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East)

Dahlgren, Susanne

ISBN 10: 0815632460 / ISBN 13: 9780815632467

Published by Syracuse University Press, 2010

About this Item

Tracing the social and political history of Aden since the late colonial era, Dahlgren explores the evolving ways in which the society has been established in a tension between contesting normative orders. She offers a complex picture of Adeni society in which norms for morality and propriety vary according to the context of the social space. Series: Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East. Num Pages: 360 pages, 22 black-&-white illustrations, 2 maps, 3 tables, glossary, notes, references, index. BIC Classification: 1FBXY; JFSJ; JPA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 30. Weight in Grams: 676. . 2010. Hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780815632467

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Contesting Realities: Public Sphere and Morality in Southern Yemen (Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East)
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815632460
• ISBN 13: 9780815632467
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

<p>Aden, the former capital of the only Marxist republic in the Arab world, has returned to the headlines as the scene of a popular uprising against the tribal-military rule of present-day Yemen. Dahlgren traces the social and political history of Aden from the late British colonial era, exploring the evolving ways in which the society has been established in a tension between contesting normative orders. Dahlgren offers a complex picture of Adeni society in which norms for propriety vary according to the contexts of social space. Dahlgren’s original research and engaging narratives of everyday Adeni people serve to document a nuanced social flexibility. She stresses individual agency and power to maneuver within a traditional patriarchal Muslim community. </p><p>As a resident of Aden for more than three years spanning the late years of Marxist South Yemen, Dahlgren presents the reader with an intimate portrait of Yemeni men and women in the home, in the factory, in the office, and in the street, demonstrating that Islamic societies must be understood through a multiplicity of social spheres and morality orders. Within each space, she examines the range of legal, political, religious, and social regulations that frame agency and social dynamics. Highlighting the diversity of women’s and men’s positions as a continuum rather than distinct areas, Dahlgren presents a vivid picture of this dynamic society, providing an in-depth background to today’s political upheavals in Yemen.</p>

About the Author

<b>Susanne Dahlgren</b> is an Academy of Finland research fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. She has published numerous articles on legal history in Yemen and on notions of Islam, morality, sexuality, and urban space.