About the Book

The war in Iraq has put the condition of Iraqi women firmly on the global agenda. For years, their lives have been framed by state oppression, economic sanctions and three wars. Now they must play a seminal role in reshaping their country’s future for the twenty-first century.

Nadje Al-Ali challenges the myths and misconceptions which have dominated debates about Iraqi women, bringing a much needed gender perspective to bear on the central political issue of our time. She traces the political history of Iraq from post-colonial independence, to the emergence of a women’s movement in the 1950s and Saddam Hussein’s early policy of state feminism. The book also discusses the increases in social conservatism, domestic violence and prostitution, and shows that, far from being passive victims, Iraqi women have been, and continue to be, key political actors. Following the invasion and occupation, al-Ali analyses the impact of Islam on women’s lives and argues that US-led calls for liberation may in the long term serve to oppress the women of Iraq further.

Read Nadje Al-Ali in The Guardian here

New DVD available 'Iraqi Women: An Interview with Nadje Al-Ali' for more information visit here

Commendations

'This is an invaluable book; especially now when the multi-faceted identity and history of Iraqis is increasingly subsumed under crude and simplistic categories which do not relate to the lived experience of the people. With intellectual rigour, a profound sense of empathy and a calm passion, Nadje Al-Ali unearths the stories of Iraq's women, providing thoughtful analysis and reflection on the nature of memory and identity. She refuses any spurious unifying agenda and instead accepts the contradictions and the multiple truths which are the reality of people's lives. This book is also the author's personal story; it is an act of discovery and also the reclamation of an identity, painful layer by painful layer. For both the author, and for the women whose stories she relates, this book exhibits the complex and, often difficult, conjunction between history and personal lives.' - Maysoon Pachachi, Filmmaker

'Iraqi Women is an original and engrossing book that traces the life histories of women over four decades of Iraq's development. It speaks with an immediacy and an authenticity that should put many ersatz histories of Iraq to shame. I recommend it to all those interested in women's contributions to Iraq.' - Hala Fattah, Historian

'In this extraordinary book, Al-Ali deftly weaves together the personal narratives of a wide range of Iraqi women to illuminate the modern history of Iraq ... Particularly sobering is her balanced and sensitive analysis of the negative effects on women's rights and lives of the decade of sanctions and the current US- British occupation.' - Lila Abu-Lughod, Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies, Columbia University

'Nadje Al-Ali draws a vivid picture of Iraqi society and politics using intense personal narratives, and offers alternative visions of modern Iraqi history. An absorbing read.' - Sami Zubaida, Emeritus Professor, Birkbeck College, University of London

'Nadje Al-Ali delivers a nuanced and powerful interrogation of the complex relationships between experience, memory and truth, told through the dynamic narratives of Iraqi women. The result is a compelling critique of contemporary histories of Iraq which project back into the past relatively newly installed notions of religion and ethnicity.' - Suad Joseph, Professor of Anthropology & Women's Studies, University of California, Davis

'Nadje Al-Ali has written a finely nuanced account of the experiences of women in Iraq in the second half of the twentieth century. Her experience of Iraqi society as an insider/outsider, and her understanding of the political background of her informants enables her to explore the relationship between experiences, memory and truth in ways which will intrigue and excite her readers.'
Peter Sluglett, Professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Utah, Salt Lake City

'[A collection of] the thoughts, memories and experiences of more than 100 women who, at one time or another, have joined Iraq's huge diaspora in America, Britain and Jordan....the pattern [Al-Ali] draws of the way that educated women's lives have changed and rechanged since Iraq's 1958 revolution is fascinating.' - The Economist

‘[This] book makes a vital and original contribution to the literature on Iraq's modern history and to the literature on gender and women's studies. But at the same time its rich, fascinating and revealing text is enormously readable and accessible to the non-specialist, and it deserves a wide readership.’ – Al-Hayat

'The women in Nadje Sadig al-Ali's book have some remarkable stories to tell...[she] has performed a vital service in bringing together these testimonies of the human toll for Iraqis of western policy that is never adequately explored in the mainstream media.' - Labour Briefing

'A powerful antidote to the image of Iraqi women as passive victims, promoted by apologists for U.S. imperial policy in order to justify sanctions, war and occupation. It opens a window onto a past all our rulers would rather forget, reminding us that women's struggles for liberation have shaped Iraq's history, even when mere survival would have been achievement enough.' - Anne Alexander, International Socialism

'Moving, reflexive, and deeply felt… both timely and crucial' - Gender and Development

Contents

Introduction
1. Living in the Diaspora
2. Living with the Revolution: Life in the 1950s and 1960s
3. Living with the Baath: Days of Plenty and State Repression
4. Living with Wars on Many Fronts
5. Living with Sanctions
6. Living in Post-Baath Iraq
Conclusion

About the Author

Nadje Al-Ali is Lecturer at the Centre for Gender Studies, SOAS, London. Her recent publications include Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East (2000) and New Approaches to Migration (2002). She is also a founding member of Act Together: Women's Action on Iraq and a member of Women in Black.

Academic Adoption Information

This book is used for teaching at the following institutions:

Queen's University Belfast

SOAS - University of London

City University London