The heritage of Islam : women, religion, and politics in West Africa

Bibliographic Information

The heritage of Islam : women, religion, and politics in West Africa

Barbara Callaway, Lucy Creevey

Lynne Rienner, 1994

  • alk. paper
  • pbk.

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-212) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

alk. paper ISBN 9781555872533

Description

The authors explore the impact of Islam on the lives of West African women, particularly those in Nigeria and Senegal. Focusing on whether or not Islam acts as a barrier to women in the process of social change and development, they address a series of important questions. Is the pattern of training and education different for Muslim and non-Muslim girls? What is the domestic life of a Muslim woman like? How do Muslim women fare in the economy, both in the labour force and in the informal sector? Do Muslim women act as a poltical group, and are they involved in politics in ways different from the political participation of other West African women? In short, how is a Muslim woman's life different from that of her animist or Christian counterpart? These questions are placed in the context of ongoing controversy over the role of Islam in the secular realm; and also in consideration of the history of West Africa; and of the position of women in pre-Islamic West African society, which has an important bearing on their present situation. The authors also examine the impact of modernisation and industrialisation, as well as nationalist reactions to colonialism and neocolonialism, on Islamic women in West Africa.

Table of Contents

  • Socialisation and the Education of Women
  • Marriage and Domestic Life
  • Women in the Formal and Informal Economy
  • Women in the Political System.
Volume

pbk. ISBN 9781555874148

Description

Callaway and Creevey explore the impact of Islam on the lives of West African women, particularly (but not exclusively) in Nigeria and Senegal. Focusing on whether Islam acts as a barrier to women in the process of social change and development, they address a series of important questions: Is the pattern of training and education different for Muslim and non-Muslim girls? Comparatively, what is the domestic life of a Muslim woman like? How do Muslim women fare in the economy, in both the wage-labour force and in the informal sector? Do Muslim women act as a political group, and are they involved in politics in any way that differs from the political participation of other West African women? In short, how is a Muslim woman's life different from that of her animist or Christian sister? These questions are placed in the context of the on-going controversy over the role of Islam in the secular realm; the particular history of West Africa; and the position of women in pre-Islamic West African society, which has an important bearing on their present situation. The authors also examine the impact of modernisation and industrialisation, as well as nationalist reactions to colonialism and neocolonialism, on Islamic women in West Africa.

Table of Contents

  • Socialisation and the Education of Women
  • Marriage and Domestic Life
  • Women in the Formal and Informal Economy
  • Women in the Political System.

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