Muslim Women on the Move: Moroccan Women and French Women of Moroccan Origin Speak Out

(Paperback)

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Description

Muslim Women on the Move offers a comparison of two Muslim populations that to date have not been compared in this way. Author Doris Gray compares the personal views of young educated women in Morocco with those of young educated women of Moroccan immigrant origins in France. She conducted extensive personal interviews, loosely structured around three main themes, over a period of three years in Morocco and in France. The three thematic groups are: conceptions of the religion of Islam, legal changes affecting women in Morocco and Muslim women in France, and personal and professional goals and challenges. This book challenges the conventional dichotomy between the Western and the Muslim world. Voices of a select group of individuals from each of these very different countries show that despite their different national circumstances, they have much more in common than is conventionally assumed. Gray summarizes individual perceptions and puts them into the larger context of Muslim women and their particular circumstances in the two Western Mediterranean countries. Muslim Women on the Move will interest students and scholars of Middle Eastern Studies, Women's Studies, French and Francophone Studies, Religious Studies, African Studies, Anthropology, and Anthropology of Religion.

Reviews

Doris Gray's study shows that Muslim women in Morocco, like those of Moroccan origin in Europe, are far more independently-minded in their relationship with Islam than has often been thought. At a time when Islam's relationship with the West has never been of greater salience, finely nuanced and sophisticated research of this nature is of enormous value. It offers an insightful corrective to those who claim globalization is inexorably polarizing the world into a clash of civilizations. -- Alec Hargreaves, Florida State University
Doris Gray's dialogue with young educated women in Morocco and in France is a heartening example of critical intimacy. Her sensitive analyses of delicate and controversial issues demonstrate that scholarship is not incompatible with a patient and respectful search for a new definition of cultural identity. She shows us just how an individual associated with a given culture cannot not be portrayed as the representative of that culture. -- Mireille Rosello, University of Amsterdam
This book provides an extremely valuable contribution to existing literature and debate not just on Morocco or on women in the Muslim World but alsomore cruciallyto the ongoing debate about relations between the Muslim world and the so-called 'West.' Through the views of her interviewees, Gray exposes textures, nuances and even some surprises, often missed or glossed over in most conventional treatments of these topics. Engagingly written, the text has an eye for personal details that enrich and give context to the broader narrative and arguments of the book. It is thoroughly recommended for anyone wanting to understand the dynamics of gender in the Muslim world and their place within wider ongoing debates occurring in Europe as well as North Africa and the Middle East about the role of Islam in society. -- Michael J. Willis, St. Antony's College, Oxford University
This text has a great deal to offer to those wishing to understand global Islam. Recommended. * Choice Reviews *
Gray continuously challenges the assumption that there is a clear dichotomy between the Western and the Muslim worlds....This is an apty-timed study....Muslim Women on the Move gives a voice to young, professional, and educated women in Morocco and of the Moroccan origin in France....This comparative study provides an intimate look at the personal experiences and opinions of women from two vey different countries. * International Journal on World Peace *
Doris Gray gives a voice to the voiceless, producing a timely book that by its scope and depth can serve as a model for other European countries facing the same issues discussed by French women of Moroccan origin. -- Aida Bamia, NEAS Department
Gray makes an important contribution to our understanding of how immigrants and their children conceptualize themselves in France....Gray's work demonstrates the effectiveness of comparative studies tracking Muslim women's experiences in Morocco and France while also setting a course for future research. * H-France Review *
This comparative study allows a better understanding of a specific category of Muslim women and the exploration of the effect of migration on their lives and attitudes. It is also policy-relevant because it gives a voice to women who are often reduced to silence and a passive role in both Morocco and France, and who are the target of increasingly hostile policies in the latter country. * MESA Bulletin *

Author Bio

Doris H. Gray is an independent scholar in Tallahassee, Florida.