Pronouncing and Persevering : Gender and the Discourses of Disputing in an African Islamic Court

Susan F. Hirsch

ISBN 10: 0226344649 / ISBN 13: 9780226344645

Published by The University Of Chicago Press Aug 1998, 1998

About this Item

Neuware - AcknowledgmentsIntroduction 1: Legal Processes and the Discursive Construction of Gender 2: Representations of Swahili Society 3: Analyzing Talk about Trouble 4: The Discourses of Marital Disputing 5: Marital Disputing in Kadhi's Courts 6: Indexing Gender: Initial Courtroom Narratives 7: Constructing Audience: Interaction in Cases and Mediations 8: Portraying Gendered Speakers: Reported Conversations 9: Pronouncing and Persevering: Ideology and Metalinguistics in Disputes Conclusion App. A: Glossary App. B: Features of Transcription App. C: Case Summaries App. D: Kiswahili Texts Notes References Index.

Seller Inventory # 9780226344645

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Pronouncing and Persevering : Gender and the Discourses of Disputing in an African Islamic Court
• Publisher: The University Of Chicago Press Aug 1998
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226344649
• ISBN 13: 9780226344645
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 23W x 17H x 2D millimeters 23 millimeters width by 17 millimeters height by 2 millimeters depth
• Weight: 624 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The title of Susan Hirsch's study of disputes involving Swahili Muslims in coastal Kenya reflects the image of gender relations most commonly associated with Islamic law. Men need only "pronounce" divorce to resolve marital conflicts, while embattled and embittered wives must persevere by silently enduring marital hardships. But Hirsch's observations of Islamic courts uncover how Muslim women actively use legal processes to transform their domestic lives, achieving victories on some fronts but reinforcing their image as subordinate to men through the speech they produce in court.

Pronouncing and Persevering focuses closely on the language used in disputes, particularly how men and women narrate their claims and how their speech shapes and is shaped by gender hierarchy in postcolonial Swahili society. Based on field research and court testimony, Hirsch's book debunks the conventional view that women are powerless under Islamic law and challenges the dichotomies through which Islam and gender relations are currently understood.