Violence and Gender in the "New" Europe Islam in German Culture

Images of covered women, together with stories of honor killings and forced marriages, continue to retain their currency in media representations of Islam. Moving beyond staid stereotypes, Gender and Violence in the "New" Europe draws new conclusions about the role of violence in determining Muslim women's participation in German public life. Combining cultural studies with theory, Beverly Weber contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion about Islam in the West in two key ways. First, she demonstrates how current thinking about gender violence prohibits the intellectual inquiry necessary to act against a range of forms of violence. Secondly, she analyzes ways in which Muslim women participate in the public sphere by thematizing violence in literature, art, and popular media. By examining how violence is imagined, portrayed, and challenged, this timely book provides new strategies for action.

Beverly M. Weber is Assistant Professor of German at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.