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Women in Fundamentalism examines the striking similarities in three extreme fundamentalist religious communities in their views about and treatment of women. Whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, the fundamentalist offshoots of these religions subject women to myriad restrictions in their daily lives. All three seek to maintain male control over women's bodies, women's activities, and the people with whom women associate. The three also share common ideologies about women's "true nature" and proper place. The specific cases covered in this text are (1) Mormon polygamists, specifically the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), who live in Utah, Arizona, Texas, and isolated enclaves in Canada and Mexico; (2) the Satmar Hasidim of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Kiryas Joel a town in Orange County, New York, and several settlements in Israel; and (3) an extreme brand of Islam practiced by the Pashtun ethnic group of Afghanistan and neighboring areas of Pakistan.
This book effectively bridges the disciplines of women's studies, religion, and anthropology, making it a valuable resource for professors and students seeking new qualitative and quantitative material on women's positions in various religious traditions.
List of contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
1 Gendered Fundamentalism: An Introduction
Fundamentalisms
Underlying Commonalities
2 Who Are They?
Hasidism: Jewish Fundamentalists
Judaism on Steroids: The Satmar of Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel
Mormon Fundamentalism
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Islamic Fundamentalism
The Pashtun of Afghanistan
The Tribal Ideology of Pashtunwali
3 Modesty Above All
Keeping Them Apart: The Satmar, the Pashtun, and the FLDS
What's a Woman to Wear? The Case of the Satmar
What's a Woman to Wear? The FLDS and the Pashtun
What Is It About Women's Hair?
4 Marriage and Male Control
Marriage: FLDS Style
What Is It About Satmar Marriage?
Suffering and Pashtun Marriage
5 Women as Broodmares
Motherhood in the FLDS
Women as Broodmares among the Satmar Hasidim
Niddah Separation
Women as Broodmares among the Pashtun
Seeking Sex Outside: The Pashtun and the Satmar
That's Just What Women Are Like
6 Even More Extreme
A New Extreme: The FLDS Under Warren Jeffs
Pashtun Extremes
Satmar Extremes
7 And the Future?
The Pashtun Future
What's in Store for the FLDS?
Threats to the Satmar Enclave
Postscript
References
About the author
Maxine L. Margolis is professor emerita of anthropology, Latin American Studies, and women’s studies at the University of Florida. She is also adjunct senior research scholar at the Institute for Latin American Studies in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009 and was awarded the Lifetime Contribution Award by the Brazilian Studies Association in 2014.
Summary
Women in Fundamentalism examines the striking similarities in three extreme fundamentalist religious communities in their views about and treatment of women
