Women in Muslim Rural Society

In an anthropological study of a rural Arab Muslim community in Israel, Joseph Ginat focuses on the status and role of Muslim women, their legal rights, and direct and indirect power within the family and community. Ginat's study, exploring aspects of Muslim family life that have rarely been analyzed in detail, challenges much that earlier studies have claimed. He reassesses the role of paternal power within the Muslim family and the power of the hamula, or head, of the Muslim extended family. Ginat documents the increasing participation of Muslim women in decision-making situations within the family and their contributions to the family income. He also examaines women's roles in the acquisition of property, their control over their sons, and their impact on larger political and economic affairs. Ginat's findings show that not only do these rural Muslim women form an integral part of their community's economy, but they also help to define the place of honor, sex, and affection within their society.