Summary: Works by female writers from Muslim countries offer us important perspectives on questions of religion, nationalism, and the role of women in Islamic and Arab culture.
Three intelligent and articulate women giving voices to those rarely heard - those, in fact, often silenced. It's an important topic, and I'm sure this program would be greatly appreciated by many. But the approach here is very academic. I felt as though I was attending a conference on the subject and merely getting abstracts of longer lectures (or interviews). In fact, the third speaker seemed to be reading directly from her own pre-written work. Lot's of food for thought on big questions such as the political construction of identity, interpretation versus manipulation, and translation of oral tradition to written word. But even the presentor seemed prone to the academic penchant for footnotes and attributations. A bit of Arabic music keeps it from being completely dry and it is a perfect topic for Women's History Month.
Comments for What's the Word? Muslim Women Writers
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David Swatling
Posted on March 06, 2006 at 10:02 PM | Permalink
Review of What's the Word? Muslim Women Writers
Three intelligent and articulate women giving voices to those rarely heard - those, in fact, often silenced. It's an important topic, and I'm sure this program would be greatly appreciated by many. But the approach here is very academic. I felt as though I was attending a conference on the subject and merely getting abstracts of longer lectures (or interviews). In fact, the third speaker seemed to be reading directly from her own pre-written work. Lot's of food for thought on big questions such as the political construction of identity, interpretation versus manipulation, and translation of oral tradition to written word. But even the presentor seemed prone to the academic penchant for footnotes and attributations. A bit of Arabic music keeps it from being completely dry and it is a perfect topic for Women's History Month.