In the 1950's, a newly married American women named Elizabeth Warnock Fernea accompanied her new husband for a two year stay in the small rural village of El Nahra located in Southern Iraq. This book encapsulates her different experiences of the town social agenda, while her husband an anthropologist gathers data in the community. Her adjustment into her new surroundings was quite difficult, simply because she lived in a mud hut that had no indoor plumbing for running water and toilets, she didn't know the language all that well, and was not accustomed to the different local ways of life. By accepting the different custom of dressing in the all black veils like the women in the harem, which fits in with the beliefs of the local conservative Islamic community, she was able to then interact with the different women located in town. Besides these women of the town and her husband she was not to speak to another male, because women's interaction with men is strictly forbidden. There was one exception to this idea for Elizabeth, a servant named Mohammad that was provided by the Sheik to help deal with the different Arabic ways. It is here in Nahra, a known polygamous society, where there exists no social communication between the different sexes and the actions of the women are watched and maintained with great detail. For Elizabeth, her participation in certain events within the town were limited, but as time passed and her acceptance grew it slowly changed. She was able to visit other women within the town, where they drank tea, smoked cigarettes, and chatted about life and one another's different customs. It took a great deal of time for Elizabeth to be accepted by the different women, it took a great deal of months and ... ... middle of paper ... ... have not been clever enough to remain the only wife, and so they pretend that whatever they have is good. Women will always fight and quarrel and be discontent if the man is not strong enough to give each of them what she needs and wants from him (Fernea 170)." These women of Arab marriages, "Purchase charms to make cruel husbands kind, indifferent ones loving, to prevent divorce, to keep new babies safe from the Evil Eye. But more than any other single thing, they prayed, purchased charms, connived against being supplanted by a second wife (Fernea 162)." When couples are married, it is expected that the women would be a model wife and be able to produce a child if not many. "For a model wife stayed at home, cared for her children and for her house, prepared good food for her husband and his guests, and kept out of sight of strangers (Fernea 50)." As noted.
This book differs from most ethnographies in that it was not authored by an anthropologist. Fernea originally set out to accompany her husband as he completed research for his doctorate in social anthropology from the University Chicago. Henceforth, Fernea did not enter the field with any specific goals, hypotheses, or particular interests. In many ways, Guests of the Sheik reads as a personal narrative, describing Ferneas struggles integrating into a society that has vastly different expectations and guidelines for women. Fernea recalls the culture shock she first experienced as well as her eagerness to overcome it. Her goals were mainly of a human nature: she wanted to feel a sense of belonging, to have friends, and to establish a life in El Nahra. The first part of Guests of the Sheik largely mimics Fernea's own journey to feeling accepted as it introduces readers to the various groups of women who soon become Fernea's close friends and confidants, most importantly Laila, who will later introduce many aspects of Muslim culture to Fernea. Throughout the book, each chapter emphasizes a different aspect of life as Fernea discovers it, or details an important event. As such, readers experience Ramadan and Eid, two staples of the Muslim culture, Weddings and marriage arrangements, discussions of monogamy and polygamy, the Pilgrimage to Karbala, and many other customs
Elizabeth Fernea entered El Nahra, Iraq as an innocent bystander. However, through her stay in the small Muslim village, she gained cultural insight to be passed on about not only El Nahra, but all foreign culture. As Fernea entered the village, she was viewed with a critical eye, ?It seemed to me that many times the women were talking about me, and not in a particularly friendly manner'; (70). The women of El Nahra could not understand why she was not with her entire family, and just her husband Bob. The women did not recognize her American lifestyle as proper. Conversely, BJ, as named by the village, and Bob did not view the El Nahra lifestyle as particularly proper either. They were viewing each other through their own cultural lenses. However, through their constant interaction, both sides began to recognize some benefits each culture possessed. It takes time, immersed in a particular community to understand the cultural ethos and eventually the community as a whole. Through Elizabeth Fernea?s ethnography on Iraq?s El Nahra village, we learn that all cultures have unique and equally important aspects.
...e women form a crucial part of this society, and are integral to its maintenance. In spite of her early hesitance and her preconceived notions of the status of women within this society, Elizabeth learns that every member has a place within the social hierarchy. While Elizabeth, or Beeja did not manage to change the society of El Nahra as she thought she might, she was given a place within it and granted respect from both the women and men of the society.
In “Women as Sisters and Wives,” a sub-chapter in “The Bayt: Family and Household,” Zabidi women are divided into “two ways: as daughters and sisters, and as wives and mothers” (Meneley 1996: 73). Daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers all have to be obedient to the men in the house. It is their duty to be compliant to the men and if they are not shame is brought to the family. Not only do the young wives have to obey their new husbands, but also their step-mothers. In that regard, women have a passive role because they have no autonomy and are dependent
There are many cultures throughout the world, which may be far apart and yet still have similarities. Two of those such cultures, the Basseri, that live in Iran, and the Nuer, whom live in Sudan, have their differences, but also have some similarities. Many of the differences and similarities come from their subsistence strategies and the social and political organization of their societies. With the regions of the world, both the Basseri and the Nuer live in, they’ve had to adapt to the environment they live in along with the limitations imposed by that environment.
All the way through Migdim's incident with arranged marriages, we can understand the old customs that has to do with marriage. It is obvious that, although women were believed to be obedient, they were capable to effectively convince men. Yet, today there seems to be a sign toward polygamous marriages that are eventu...
submissive, powerless objects of their husbands. Equality and balance within their marriages were of no
One man having many wives may seem like something that would happen in a male-dominated society, but while the men are spending time and doing things for one wife, the other wives are left to fend for themselves and their children. When Sogolon Wulen Condé cannot conceive because she has been vexed by the other wives of her husband, Maghan Konfara, she convinces her husband to take on another wife to have a child with. He ends up giving into her demands and marries another woman. While Sunjata is not actually born from this tie, the reader can see that Maghan Konfara is willing to respect his wife and listen to her input on such an impactful topic. Women are seen in the story has having a profound effect on the world around them, instead of just being used as a wife and mother. In this culture, they have more of a say. While not downplaying this system, it is critical to note that the polygamous marriages put in practice in the story of Sunjata would possibly complicate a patrilineal system, which is why the Mande peoples follow a matrilineal way
The ideal image of a Pakistani woman is a housewife. Women become completely dependent on their spouse and spend the rest of their lives cooking, cleaning, and raising children. In America, women are more independent and have greater opportunities to display their capability. Being a Pakistani-American woman, I have the ability to decide what life I would prefer: the life of a housewife or a working woman.
South Asian women engage in patriarchal values and normative structure established more than two thousands years ago, continue to be oppressed by a dominant group of men. These women suffer further oppression through the strict adherence to cultural garb. Still today, media and educational system portray South Asian women as self-sacrificing, faithful to the family, and submissive to men.
Most American women would shudder at the thought of their husband spending time with another woman. Not Elizabeth Joseph. Joseph chronicles her life in polygamy in an essay that appeared in the New York Times in 1991 entitled “My Husband’s Nine Wives”. Joseph discusses how it is problematic to manipulate her life around her husband Alex, her occupation and her youngster on a daily basis. She argues monogamous relationships are chockfull of “compromises” and “trade-offs”. She mentions how excited the children are when their Father comes to eat once a week. Joseph speaks of making an “appointment” to spend time with him. If it is another wife’s turn, Joseph may interject if she is “longing for intimacy and comfort only he can provide.” (148) Joseph asserts pleural marriage is the only resolution to her problems. Unlike Joseph, most American women are managing a demanding full time job, hyperactive children and their needy husband on a daily basis.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
The central Bosnian village Dolina is located in a valley north of the Bosnian-Hercegovinian capital, Sarejevo. From a very early age Muslim girls are taught that their role as a female is to assist their mother with household chores and to serve the men. While her male siblings, who spend most of their time playing and walking around the village, are not expected to work around the house (Bringa 106). Muslim boys were given privileges because they were male. Muslim women usually did not leave the household for employment because they maintained the household agriculture, however they could sew and knit for other villagers. Women’s work mainly consisted of tending to the garden where they grew the vegetables for household consumption. The women also did the milking and the processing of cheese (Bringa 52-4). The busiest part of a Muslim woman’s day was in the morning when she did the cooking and the cleaning. A women’s daily routine, which includes social calls to her neighbors, know as “coffee visits”, revolves around both her children and husband’s schedule. A woman was expected to be home whenever her husband was home (Bringa 87-8). The daily interaction between neighboring households occurs mainly through the women’s “coffee visits.” During the “coffee visits” the women are expected to uphold Muslim community values so as not to damage the reputation of their household (Bringa 91). Tone Bringa wrote: “as a wife a woman’s behavior was judged in relation to her behavior within the neighborhood and village, and in terms of her critical role as representative of the moral standing of her household on a daily basis”(105). Women determine and maintain the environment that exists within the household while the men are the providers of material substance (Bringa 86). The men spend most of their time working outside the village in nearby market towns or in the industrial suburbs of Sarajevo. Some of the most common jobs include bricklayer, welder, carpenter, electrician, car mechanic, warden, and lorry driver (Bringa 51). Fontana del Re is a poverty stricken neighborhood in Naples, Itlay. Just like in the Bosnian village of Dolina, the women of Fontana del Re, Naples tend to stay close to home while the men leave the area to find work. Life in Naples is focused on the mother. Thomas Belmonte wrote, the mother “is at the center because she controls and distributes the twin sources of human vitality, food and love” (89).
Throughout the novel, the reader follows Elizabeth through her struggle to maintain her personal identity, despite what her mother, sisters, and other women in society think of her. Elizabeth enjoys physical activities, such as walking , which is uncommon for women in the society in which she lives. “She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild.” (Austen, 24). The women often look upon Elizabeth negatively due to her behaviour and personality, especially for her outspokenness, which was especially uncommon and unacceptable upon women. “‘Lizzy’, cried...