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Traces the history of ba'thist discourses on women and state patronage of the novel, and explores secular and religious literary responses
In an effort to expand its readership and increase support for its pan-Arab project, the Iraqi Ba'th almost completely eradicated illiteracy among women. During the country's continuous wars, female writers found the state presenting them with both opportunities and obstacles, as the 'woman question' became a site of contention between those who would advocate the progressiveness of the Ba'th and those who would stress its repressiveness and immorality. By exploring discourses on women in both propaganda and high art fictional writings by Iraqis, this book offers an alternative narrative of the literary and cultural history of Iraq.
Key Features
¿ Includes hitherto marginalised voices in Arabic literary scholarship, such as religious writings by Iraqi Shia women
¿ Challenges canonical views of modern Arabic literature by studying propaganda texts such as the novels of Saddam Hussein and the state-sponsored novels of the Iran-Iraq War
¿ Uses the concept of 'paratexts' in order to better understand how political works circulate and function as either resistance or collaboration
¿ Relates to broader regional issues such as national identity and the status of women in Arabic societies
Hawraa Al-Hassan is Research Associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge.
List of contents
Introduction: Women, Wars and Weapons: Mapping the Cultural Battlefield of Ba'thist Iraq; Part 1; 1. History Writing and Canon-making: The Place of Women in Narratives of the Iran Iraq War; 2. The Infamous Iraqi Majidat: Chastity, Chivalry and Collective Identity in the Novels of Saddam Hussein; Part 2; 3. Fighting Fire with Fire: The Islamic Novel in Iraq and the Battle for Hearts and Minds; 4. The National Gets Personal: Autobiographical Writings by Iraqi Women; Conclusion: Binaries, Bonds and Moving beyond the Ba'th; References.
About the author
Hawraa Al-Hassan is visiting researcher at the Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge. She gained her PhD from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Yasir Suleiman.
Summary
Explores discourses on gender and representations of women in modern Iraqi fiction. By exploring discourses on gender in both propaganda and high art fictional writings by Iraqis, this book offers an alternative narrative of the literary and cultural history of Iraq.
