Burning the veil The Algerian war and the 'emancipation' of Muslim women, 1954–62

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Synopsis

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Burning the veil draws upon sources from newly-opened archives, exploring the ‘emancipation’ of Muslim women from the veil, seclusion and perceived male oppression during the Algerian War of decolonisation. The claimed French liberation was contradicted by the violence inflicted on women through rape, torture and destruction of villages. This book examines the roots of this contradiction in the theory of ‘revolutionary warfare’, and the attempt to defeat the National Liberation Front by penetrating the Muslim family, seen as a bastion of resistance. Striking parallels with contemporary Afghanistan and Iraq, French ‘emancipation’ produced a backlash that led to deterioration in the social and political position of Muslim women. This analysis of how and why attempts to Westernise Muslim women ended in catastrophe has contemporary relevance and will be important to students and academics engaged in the study of French and colonial history, feminism and contemporary Islam.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Book details

Author:
Neil MacMaster
ISBN:
9781526146182
Related ISBNs:
9780719074738, 9780719087547
Publisher:
Manchester University Press
Pages:
N/A
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
No
Date of addition:
2024-11-02
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
2009
Copyright by:
N/A 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality