LOOKING INTO THE LIVES OF WOMEN THROUGH DREAMS OF TRESPASS, TALES OF A HAREM GIRLHOOD
Keywords:
Harem, Hudud (Frontiers), Patriarchy, Polygamy, SpaceAbstract
In this paper, we aim to analyze Fatima Mernissi’s book Dreams of Trespass, Tales of a Harem Girlhood. Although Mernissi’s works are widely analyzed, this autobiographical work by Mernissi has somehow escaped the thorough analysis of Muslim feminist scholars. This paper talks about the institution of the harem through Mernissi’s experiences. This paper also talks about how these confined women still show their resistance in different ways. The paper talks about four women characters in this book who shows resistance and dreams to be empowered one day.
We assert that Mernissi’s goal in writing this book is to make the reader aware of Muslim women living in harems. Since this book is not only about Mernissi’s experiences in the harem but the experiences of the other women living in the harem along with Mernissi, then this work comes under the realm of Islamic Feminism. Hence, Islamic feminism and its critics are also discussed here.
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