One Foot in Heaven: Narratives on Gender and Islam in Darfur, West-Sudan (Women and Gender: the Middle East and the Islamic World)
By Karin Willemse
This profound ethnographic study invites readers into the complex spiritual and social landscape of Darfur, where women navigate the intersection of faith, identity, and societal expectations. Through intimate biographical narratives, Karin Willemse presents the lived experiences of women in Kebkabiya during a transformative period in Sudanese history.
The book centers on the personal stories of working women from different social backgrounds, revealing how they craft their identities while engaging with Islamic moral teachings about gender roles. These narratives unfold against the backdrop of Sudan's Islamist government policies, which emphasized women's roles as mothers and wives within domestic spheres.
Willemse's anthropological approach illuminates the intricate ways these women negotiate religious discourse while maintaining their agency and purpose. Their stories emerge from a time of significant upheaval, including ethnic tensions, religious transformation, and broader regional conflicts that shaped daily life in West Sudan.
Rather than presenting abstract theological concepts, this work grounds spiritual and cultural understanding in real human experiences. The author's five-year research period allows for deep, nuanced portraits that reveal how faith intersects with practical concerns of work, family, and community belonging.
For readers interested in understanding how spiritual beliefs shape women's lives across cultures, this book offers valuable insights into the dynamic relationship between religious teaching and personal identity formation within Islamic contexts.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Islam and culture
- ✓ Explore Sex role
- ✓ Explore Lebenslauf
- ✓ Explore Social conditions
- ✓ Explore Islamic law
- ✓ Explore Geschlechtsrolle
- ✓ Explore Muslim women
- ✓ Explore Sudan, social conditions
Topics
Details
- Published
- 2007
- Publisher
- Not Avail, Brill
- ISBN-13
- 9789004150119
- ISBN-10
- 9004150110
- Pages
- 541
- Language
- EN
