Veiled, secluded, submissive, oppressed-the "odalisque" image has held sway over Western representations of Muslim women since the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Yet during medieval and Renaissance times, European writers portrayed Muslim women in exactly the opposite way, as forceful queens of wanton and intimidating sexuality.

In this illuminating study, Mohja Kahf traces the process through which the "termagant" became an "odalisque" in Western representations of Muslim women. Drawing examples from medieval chanson de geste and romance, Renaissance drama, Enlightenment prose, and Romantic poetry, she links the changing images of Muslim women to changes in European relations with the Islamic world, as well as to changing gender dynamics within Western societies.

"An insightful and provocative book. With an impressive knowledge of European literature from the medieval period to the mid-nineteenth century and in command of literary and feminist criticisms as well as Islamic history, Mohja Kahf unearths and revives conveniently forgotten images of Muslim women. This fascinating genealogyrelegated to oblivion, pushed in the footnotes, forced into invisibilityreveals the evolving images of the Muslim women in the West." -- Farzaneh Milani, Associate Professor of Persian and Women's Studies, University of Virginia

About the Author

Mohja Kahf is a professor in the English department and the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Reviews
"An insightful and provocative book. With an impressive knowledge of European literature from the medieval period to the mid-nineteenth century and in command of literary and feminist criticisms as well as Islamic history, Mohja Kahf unearths and revives conveniently forgotten images of Muslim women. This fascinating genealogyorelegated to oblivion, pushed in the footnotes, forced into invisibilityoreveals the evolving images of the Muslim women in the West." Farzaneh Milani, Associate Professor of Persian and Women's Studies, University of Virginia



Book Information
ISBN 9780292743373
Author Mohja Kahf
Format Paperback
Page Count 219
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 454g