Veil : Modesty, Privacy and Resistance (Dress, Body, Culture)

Rating:
Summary: Sailing through history to present veil with vision.
Review: The author has done such a great job, challenging the stereotypical western view to the meaning of veiling in a thorough scientific research, using an anthropological analysis and sailing through the history; east and west. She succeeded in disentangling the confusions that exist between cultural language as far as veil is concerned. In a serious and great effort, her analysis illustrate the layers and layes of meanings that are mixed with veiling in the past and present, in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. I am glad that there an anthropologist in the international community who can introduce a picture of the Islamic culture that is different from what has become known through Mernessi and Sa'adawi. We still need to do more in two directions, clarifying the misunderstanding to the western mind through more research in the direction that she has taken, and self criticizing the limitations of the current mind structure of the so called Muslims. As far as I can see as an anthropologist who lives in Egypt, the Egyptian Islam is endangered by the petrodollars Islam. Preserving the Egyptian identity is a great target to which social sciences in general and anthropology in particular should direct their efforts. Islam as digested and introduced by the Egyptians is the international Islam. The one that is tolerant, unbiased, humane and open. That is the Islam we need in order to establish a real cultural debate in the next millennium and not to go into cultural conflicts as Huntington has expected.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: The influence of the ideas of western feminism combined with Islamic principals is described eloquently in this book. The rich history of veiling, Islam and colonization are thoroughly described. It is complete as well as exciting to read.