Muslim Women and Islamic Resurgence: Religion, Education and Identity Politics in Bahrain

by Sophia Pandya

Overview

Bahrain's tumultuous political landscape often overshadows the societal upheavals that this tiny country is facing. Sophia Pandya cuts through this to examine how international Islamic revivalism coupled with increased secular education has impacted Muslim women's religious practice and public position. She unsettles assumptions that education is a secularising force for Muslim women, showing that modern education among Bahraini women has in fact deepened both their engagement with Islam and their political participation. Uncovering what transpires when newly educated women have the opportunity to reinterpret religion and gain access to the work place and the political arena, Pandya sheds light on the complex intersections between women and public life, education and Islam. This book provides great insights into religious women's efforts towards self-determination within conservative Islamic movements as well as the impact of globalisation and wider economic and political developments in Bahrain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848858244
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/28/2012
Series:	Library of Modern Middle East Studies , #119
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Sophia Pandya has a PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at California State University, Long Beach.

Table of Contents

Bahrain and Beyond its Shore
• A History of Bahrain 1932-2003: Politics, Education, Women and Society
• The Shi'i Ma'tam: 'We Used to Cry but Now We Don't'
• A Qur'anic School for Sunni Women: A Body, not a Wing
• Gulf Women's Stories about Life and Religion
• Expatriate Muslim Women's Stories about Life and Religion
• Thinking Big