Of virgins and martyrs : women and sexuality in global conflict

Author(s)

    • Jacobson, David

Bibliographic Information

Of virgins and martyrs : women and sexuality in global conflict

David Jacobson

(Themes in global social change)

Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013

  • : pbk

Available at  / 4 libraries

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Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9781421407531

Description

Women's bodies have become a battleground. Around the world, people argue about veiling, schooling for Afghan girls, and "SlutWalk" protests, all of which involve issues of women's sexuality and freedom. Globalization, with its emphasis on human rights and individuality, heats up these arguments. In "Of Virgins and Martyrs", David Jacobson takes the reader on a fascinating tour of how self-identity developed throughout history and what individualism means for Muslim societies struggling to maintain a sense of honor in a globalized twenty-first century. Some patriarchal societies have come to see women's control of their own sexuality as a threat to a way of life that goes back thousands of years. Many trace their lineage to tribal cultures that were organized around the idea that women's virginity represents the honor of male relatives and the good of the community at large. Anyone or anything that influences women to the contrary is considered a corrupting and potentially calamitous force. Jacobson analyzes the connection between tribal patriarchy and Muslim radicalism through an innovative tool-the tribal patriarchy index. This index helps to illuminate why women's sexuality, dress, and image so compel militant Muslim outrage and sometimes violent action, revealing a deeper human story of how women's status defines competing moral visions of society and why this present clash is erupting with such ferocity.

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: Historical Trajectories of the Middle East and Europe 1. The Honor of Virgins: The Biblical Roots of Patriarchy 2. A Pirouette in Europe: With Dutch Women in the Lead, History Changes Course 3. Jerusalem, Rome, Mecca: A Crescent Rises in the Firmament and in Arabia Part II: How Globalization Advantages Women 4. Global Markets: Putting Homo economicus on the Defensive 5. Fashioning Herself: Women Unbound by Tradition Part III: Explaining the Islamist Backlash 6. Loathing the Feminine Mystique: The Islamist Resistance 7. Thoughts and Consequences: The Ink of Scholars and the Blood of Martyrs Part IV: Abroad at Home: European Paradoxes 8. Europe's Winter of Discontent: A Clash of Traditions and Generations 9. An Education: Women and Men in Europe's Poorer Neighborhoods 10. Islamist Tipping Points: Why Think Radically in Europe? Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Glossary Index
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9781421407548

Description

Women's bodies have become a battleground. Around the world, people argue about veiling, schooling for Afghan girls, and "SlutWalk" protests, all of which involve issues of women's sexuality and freedom. Globalization, with its emphasis on human rights and individuality, heats up these arguments. In Of Virgins and Martyrs, David Jacobson takes the reader on a fascinating tour of how self-identity developed throughout history and what individualism means for Muslim societies struggling to maintain a sense of honor in a globalized twenty-first century. Some patriarchal societies have come to see women's control of their own sexuality as a threat to a way of life that goes back thousands of years. Many trace their lineage to tribal cultures that were organized around the idea that women's virginity represents the honor of male relatives and the good of the community at large. Anyone or anything that influences women to the contrary is considered a corrupting and potentially calamitous force. Jacobson analyzes the connection between tribal patriarchy and Muslim radicalism through an innovative tool-the tribal patriarchy index. This index helps to illuminate why women's sexuality, dress, and image so compel militant Muslim outrage and sometimes violent action, revealing a deeper human story of how women's status defines competing moral visions of society and why this present clash is erupting with such ferocity.

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: Historical Trajectories of the Middle East and Europe 1. The Honor of Virgins: The Biblical Roots of Patriarchy 2. A Pirouette in Europe: With Dutch Women in the Lead, History Changes Course 3. Jerusalem, Rome, Mecca: A Crescent Rises in the Firmament and in Arabia Part II: How Globalization Advantages Women 4. Global Markets: Putting Homo economicus on the Defensive 5. Fashioning Herself: Women Unbound by Tradition Part III: Explaining the Islamist Backlash 6. Loathing the Feminine Mystique: The Islamist Resistance 7. Thoughts and Consequences: The Ink of Scholars and the Blood of Martyrs Part IV: Abroad at Home: European Paradoxes 8. Europe's Winter of Discontent: A Clash of Traditions and Generations 9. An Education: Women and Men in Europe's Poorer Neighborhoods 10. Islamist Tipping Points: Why Think Radically in Europe? Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Glossary Index

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