Gender in Judaism and Islam

Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet is Robert I. Williams Term Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she currently serves as Director of the Middle East Center. Kashani-Sabet's most recent book is Conceiving Citizens: Women and the Politics of Motherhood in Iran, which won the 2012 book award from the Journal of Middle East Women's Studies.Beth S. Wenger is Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she currently serves as Chair of the History Department. Her award-winning books include The Jewish Americans: Three Centuries of Jewish Voices in America and New York Jews and the Great Depression: Uncertain Promise.

• Contents Part I. Comparative Perspectives 13 1 Jewish and Muslim Feminist Theologies in Dialogue: Discourses of Difference 17 Susannah Heschel 2 Jewish and Islamic Legal Traditions: Diffusions of Law 46 Amira Sonbol Part II. Limits of Biology: Bodily Purity and Religiosity 69 3 Scholarly versus Women's Authority in the Islamic Law of Menstrual Purity 73 Marion Katz 4 Gender Duality and Its Subversions in Rabbinic Law 106 Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert 5 Gender and Reproductive Technologies in Shia Iran 126 Soraya Tremayne Part III. Crimes of Passion: Formative Texts and Traditions 151 6 Not a Man: Joseph and the Character of Masculinity in Judaism and Islam 155 Lori Lefkovitz 7 Dishonorable Passions: Law and Virtue in Muslim Communities 181 Catherine Warrick 8 Legislating the Family: Gender, Jewish Law, and Rabbinical Courts in Mandate Palestine 203 Lisa Fishbayn Joffe Part IV. Cultural Depictions of Jewish and Muslim Women 237 9 A Literary Perspective: Domestic Violence, the "Woman Question," and the "Arab Question" in Early Zionism 241 Andrea Siegel

"The book could be helpful for graduate students hoping to think theoretically about gender in religion and history. With its succinct and compelling introductions for each part as well as an afterword by Scott and a glossary, the book is also made highly useable for undergraduates or novices." (Religious Studies Review) "This volume is a solid beginning to a serious scholarly treatment of the topics surrounding gender in Judaism and Islam, It fills an important gap in the scholarship and promises to open the field to further critical studies. It addresses similarities and differences in womens issues and experiences within Jewish and Islamic national, religious, and ethnic identities." (Reading Religion) "While this collection of essays is most useful for those with some background on the topics, it will also appeal to scholars hoping to expand their knowledge on many different aspects of Judaism and Islam. The essays do a great job of bridging ideas of the past with those of the present, making this volume valuable for scholars of history and current cultural trends as well as for researchers in anthropology, sociology womens health, media studies, Middle East studies, legal studies, literary studies, and more." (Feminist Collections) "Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet and Beth S. Wenger are to be congratulated for assembling a compelling collection that illuminates a wide range of issues around gender in Judaism and Islam drawn from discussions of Muslim and Jewish law to analyses of contemporary feminism to crimes of passion and 'honor killings' in the modern Arab world. Written by eminent scholars in accessible prose, these powerful pieces carry us beyond stereotypes and politics toward mutual understanding and shared knowledge." - Deborah Dash Moore,Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of History, University of Michigan "A long overdue volume exploring commonalities and differences among Jewish and Muslim women along with gendered aspects of their religious and cultural experiences. Path breaking in its range and scope, with outstanding chapters by leading historians in the field, this work puts Islamic and Jewish Studies into a rich dialogue. By emphasizing shared histories and intersecting paths, it delivers on its promises, opening new vistas for understanding complexities in the lives of Muslims and Jews, past and present." - Beth Baron,Director, Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center, CUNY