Women and Men in Late Eighteenth-Century Egypt

Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid Marsot

Published by University of Texas Press 1995

Women and Men in Late Eighteenth-Century Egypt

Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid Marsot

In the series CMES Modern Middle East Series

https://doi.org/10.7560/751804

Overview
Contents

About this book

In the late eighteenth century, decentralized and chaotic government in Egypt allowed women a freedom of action that has not been equaled until recent times. Delving extensively into archival sources, Afaf Marsot presents the first comprehensive picture of women's status and opportunities in this period.

Marsot makes important connections between forms of government, economic possibilities, and gender relations, showing how political instability allowed women to acquire property, independent of males, as a hedge against political uncertainty. She traces the linkages that women formed among themselves and with the ulama (non-Ottoman native elites) who aided and supported them. The book concludes with a comparison of women's status in the nineteenth century, when the introduction of European institutions that did not recognize their legal existence marginalized women, causing them to have to rely on men as major breadwinners. These important findings about the relationship between forms of government and the status of women will be of interest to a wide audience.

Author / Editor information

Afaf Marsot was the first Egyptian woman to receive a D.Phil. from Oxford University. She is Professor of History at UCLA.

Reviews

Like all of Marsot's writings, this book is engaging and highly readable. Undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars in other fields will find it an accessible overview of later Ottoman Egyptian society, the role of gender therein, and key issues in the historiography of this important topic.

— American Historical Review

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Women in the Eyes of Men Myth and Reality Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
2. Political Struggles The Search for Leadership Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
3. Society in Mamluk Egypt The Elites Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
4. Indigenous Elites in the Eighteenth Century Ulama and Tujjar Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
5. Artisans and Ayan Urban and Rural Middle and Lower Classes in the Eighteenth Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
6. The Nineteenth Century The Advent of Centralization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Appendix A. Mamluk Elites Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Appendix B. Native Elites Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
Appendix C. Women of Artisanal Classes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165
Note Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
Select Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 199

eBook

Published: February 20, 2014
ISBN: 9780292780842