Women, Islam And Abbasid Identity Hardcover

Nadia Maria El Cheikh

When the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads in 750 CE and ushered in Islam’s Golden Age, ideas about gender and sexuality were central to the process by which the caliphate achieved self-definition and articulated its systems of power and thought. Nadia Maria El Cheikh’s study reveals the importance of women to the writing of early Islamic history.

9780674736368

English

Penguin

176

Nadia Maria El Cheikh is Professor of History at the American University of Beirut.

Nadia Maria

El Cheikh demonstrates convincingly and elegantly that ideas about women and gender are key to marking temporal, religious, sectarian, and ideological boundaries. There is a real need for this accessible work for those who want to learn more about Islamic history.--Kecia Ali, Boston University In Women, Islam, and Abbasid Identity, El Cheikh offers a well-crafted and distinctly fresh approach to the formation of Islamic identity. This is a work of high scholarly caliber that will make a significant contribution to the study of early Islam.--Nancy Khalek, Brown University