Iraqi Women: Untold Stories from 1948 to the Present

Description

The war in Iraq has put the condition of Iraqi women firmly on the global agenda. For years, their lives have been framed by state oppression, economic sanctions and three wars. Now they must play a seminal role in reshaping their country’s future for the twenty-first century. Nadje Al-Ali challenges the myths and misconceptions which have dominated debates about Iraqi women, bringing a much needed gender perspective to bear on the central political issue of our time. Based on life stories and oral histories of Iraqi women, she traces the history of Iraq from post-colonial independence, to the emergence of a women’s movement in the 1950s, Saddam Hussein’s early policy of state feminism to the turn towards greater social conservatism triggered by war and sanctions. Yet, the book also shows that, far from being passive victims, Iraqi women have been, and continue to be, key social and political actors. Following the invasion, Al-Ali analyses the impact of occupation and Islamist movements on women’s lives and argues that US-led calls for liberation has led to a greater backlash against Iraqi women. Contents Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1: Living in the Diaspora Diaspora and Exile Becoming Iraqi in London Siham’s Story: The Jewish Exodus Detroit: American Dream? Shi‘i Dearborn Kurdish Women in San Diego County Amman: Ambiguous Neighbourly Relations Layers of Dispersal 2: Living with the Revolution Experiencing the Monarchy Women’s Education The Political Spectrum The 1958 Coup and the Revolution Women’s Political Activism The Iraqi Women’s League First Ba‘th Coup d’État in 1963 Social Lives Love Stories and Marriage Patterns Conclusion 3: Living with the Ba‘th Zeynab’s story The Ba‘th Coming to Power The Kurdish Struggle ‘Days of Plenty’ ‘Women – One Half of Our Society’ Limits to the Revolution A Time of Contradictions 4: Living with Wars on Many Fronts The Iraq–Iran War (1980–88) Zamn al-Tasfirat (Time of Deportations) The Anfal campaign Militarization and Gender Roles 5: Living with War and Sanctions The 1991
Gulf War 'Destroying Our Morale’ Women’s Employment Education Family and Gender Relations Increased Social Conservatism Women in the Kurdish Safe Haven As if sanctions were not enough… 6: Living with the Occupation Living through the Invasion Chaos and Lawlessness The Climate of Fear Increasing Death Rates Violence by Occupation Forces Violence by Islamist Militants Changing Gender Ideologies Increasing Poverty and Humanitarian Crisis Women’s Political Participation What Kind of Liberation? Conclusion Plurality and Difference Saddam Hussein, Women and Gender Relations Alternative Histories Future Perspectives Notes Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Conclusion References Websites Index