The Women of Karbala
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Edited by:
Kamran Scot Aghaie
About this book
Commemorating the Battle of Karbala, in which the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hosayn and seventy-two of his family members and supporters were martyred in 680 CE, is the central religious observance of Shi'i Islam. Though much has been written about the rituals that reenact and venerate Karbala, until now no one has studied women's participation in these observances. This collection of original essays by a multidisciplinary team of scholars analyzes the diverse roles that women have played in the Karbala rituals, as well as the varied ways in which gender-coded symbols have been used within religious and political discourses.
The contributors to this volume consider women as participants in and observers of the Karbala rituals in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, and the United States. They find that women's experiences in the Shi'i rituals vary considerably from one community to another, based on regional customs, personal preferences, religious interpretations, popular culture, and socioeconomic background. The authors also examine the gender symbolism within the rituals, showing how it reinforces distinctions between the genders while it also highlights the centrality of women to the symbolic repertory of Shi'ism. Overall, the authors conclude that while Shi'i rituals and symbols have in some ways been used to restrict women's social roles, in other ways they have served to provide women with a sense of independence and empowerment.
Author / Editor information
Kamran Scot Aghaie is Associate Professor of Islamic and Iranian History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Topics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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A Note on Transliteration
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Acknowledgments
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Introduction: Gendered Aspects of the Emergence and Historical Development of Shi‘i Symbols and Rituals
1 - PART 1. Iran
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1. Ta'ziyeh: A Twist of History in Everyday Life
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2. The Gender Dynamics of Moharram Symbols and Rituals in the Latter Years of Qajar Rule
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3. ‘‘Oh, My Heart Is Sad. It Is Moharram, the Month of Zaynab’’: The Role of Aesthetics and Women’s Mourning Ceremonies in Shiraz
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4. The Daughters of Karbala: Images of Women in Popular Shi'i Culture in Iran
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5. Iconography of the Women of Karbala: Tiles, Murals, Stamps, and Posters
119 - PART 2. The Arab World, South Asia, and the United States of America
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6. Sakineh, The Narrator of Karbala: An Ethnographic Description of a Women’s Majles Ritual in Pakistan
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7. Sayyedeh Zaynab: The Conqueror of Damascus and Beyond
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8. Gender and Moharram Rituals in an Isma'ili Sect of South Asian Muslims
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9. Women of Karbala Moving to America: Shi'i Rituals in Iran, Pakistan, and California
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10. Women’s Religious Rituals in Iraq
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11. From Mourning to Activism: Sayyedeh Zaynab, Lebanese Shi‘i Women, and the Transformation of Ashura
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Bibliography
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Index
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