Reviews
The approach chosen for this anthology--reflective, meditative broad, and under exclusively female authorship--is commendable and refreshing., _This thought-provoking collection of essays goes far in moving the veil away from any singular interpretation or judgment._, "This thought-provoking collection of essays goes far in moving the veil away from any singular interpretation or judgment."--Daily Telegraph, The approach chosen for this anthology-reflective, meditative broad, and under exclusively female authorship-is commendable and refreshing., _Provie[s] a wide spectrum of views, traditions, feelings and issues related to the human practice of covering the head and hair._, "The approach chosen for this anthology--reflective, meditative broad, and under exclusively female authorship--is commendable and refreshing."-- Jrnl American Academy of Religion/ Jaar, This thought-provoking collection of essays goes far in moving the veil away from any singular interpretation or judgment., "Provie[s] a wide spectrum of views, traditions, feelings and issues related to the human practice of covering the head and hair."-- Bloomsbury Review, Provie[s] a wide spectrum of views, traditions, feelings and issues related to the human practice of covering the head and hair., _The approach chosen for this anthology_reflective, meditative broad, and under exclusively female authorship_is commendable and refreshing._, "This thought-provoking collection of essays goes far in moving the veil away from any singular interpretation or judgment."-- Daily Telegraph, "The approach chosen for this anthology--reflective, meditative broad, and under exclusively female authorship--is commendable and refreshing."-- Journal American Academy of Religion/ Jaar
Synopsis
This groundbreaking volume, written entirely by women, examines the vastly misunderstood and multilayered world of the veil. Veiling-- of women, of men, and of sacred places and objects--has existed in countless cultures and religions from time immemorial. Today, veiling is a globally polarizing issue, a locus for the struggle between Islam and the West and between contemporary and traditional interpretations of Islam. But veiling was a practice long before Islam and still extends far beyond the Middle East. This book explores and examines the cultures, politics, and histories of veiling. Twenty-one gifted writers and scholars, representing a wide range of societies, religions, ages, locations, races, and accomplishments, here elucidate, challenge, and/or praise the practice. Expertly organized and introduced by Jennifer Heath, who also writes on male veiling, the essays are arranged in three parts: the veil as an expression of the sacred; the veil as it relates to the emotional and the sensual; and the veil in its sociopolitical aspects. This unique, dynamic, and insightful volume is illustrated throughout. It brings together a multiplicity of thought and experience, much of it personal, to make readily accessible a difficult and controversial subject. Contributors: Kecia Ali, Michelle Auerbach, Sarah C. Bell, Barbara Goldman Carrel, Eve Grubin, Roxanne Kamayani Gupta, Jana M. Hawley, Jasbir Jain, Mohja Kahf, Laurene Lafontaine, Shireen Malik, Maliha Masood, Marjane Satrapi, Aisha Shaheed, Rita Stephan, Pamela K. Taylor, Ashraf Zahedi, Dinah Zeiger, Sherifa Zuhur, This groundbreaking volume, written entirely by women, examines the vastly misunderstood and multilayered world of the veil. Veiling- of women, of men, and of sacred places and objects-has existed in countless cultures and religions from time immemorial. Today, veiling is a globally polarizing issue, a locus for the struggle between Islam and the West and between contemporary and traditional interpretations of Islam. But veiling was a practice long before Islam and still extends far beyond the Middle East. This book explores and examines the cultures, politics, and histories of veiling. Twenty-one gifted writers and scholars, representing a wide range of societies, religions, ages, locations, races, and accomplishments, here elucidate, challenge, and/or praise the practice. Expertly organized and introduced by Jennifer Heath, who also writes on male veiling, the essays are arranged in three parts: the veil as an expression of the sacred; the veil as it relates to the emotional and the sensual; and the veil in its sociopolitical aspects. This unique, dynamic, and insightful volume is illustrated throughout. It brings together a multiplicity of thought and experience, much of it personal, to make readily accessible a difficult and controversial subject. Contributors: Kecia Ali, Michelle Auerbach, Sarah C. Bell, Barbara Goldman Carrel, Eve Grubin, Roxanne Kamayani Gupta, Jana M. Hawley, Jasbir Jain, Mohja Kahf, Laurene Lafontaine, Shireen Malik, Maliha Masood, Marjane Satrapi, Aisha Shaheed, Rita Stephan, Pamela K. Taylor, Ashraf Zahedi, Dinah Zeiger, Sherifa Zuhur
