Harem Histories

“Rarely have I encountered an edited collection as coherent and focused as Harem Histories. . . . Harem Histories offers concrete historical examples of the ways that gendered space is constructed and imagined, public and private overlap and merge, and cultural interaction has complex
dynamics and consequences. Although perhaps of most interest to historians and other scholars of the Middle East, these are issues of more general concern to sociologists as well.” - Leila J. Rupp, Contemporary Sociology
“[A] useful lens for understanding current narratives about Muslim women as well as earlier histories, stories, and the people who wrote them.” - M. Lynx Qualey, Women’s Review of Books
“[A] fascinating compilation. . . . Taken together, the articles demonstrate
major historiographical advances in the field—new approaches and new questions that enable us to better understand the role of gender played in imperial and household relations and how it changed over time and place.” - Nancy E. Gallagher, Digest of Middle East Studies
“The thirteen contributions to this volume illuminate the complex dynamics of producing, consuming, and inhabiting harem spaces by examining a number of Western and non-Western primary sources, including novels and
memoirs, historical and legal documents, as well as architectural layouts and photographs. This vast range of sources not only creates a comprehensive mosaic of the material but also bolsters our understanding of it by virtue of the dialogue amongst the authors and chapters themselves, which adds a level of nuance, depth, and liveliness.” - Nadine Sinno, Clio
“From the examination of the public acts of the female companions of Muhammad to the changing legal structure around sexuality in Ottoman imperial law, the volume extends conceptions of the relationship between women, the harem, and the public sphere in useful ways. The extraordinary ground covered by this volume means that any scholar, regardless of his or her area of specialization, can learn something, and perhaps many things, from it.” - Lisa Z. Sigel, History: Reviews of New Books
“Harem Histories includes magisterial essays by a number of leading scholars at the top of their game, and it takes us through a series of insightful and inspiring examinations of the harem system. Delightful cultural analyses of literary and visual depictions of the harem link Western and Eastern cultural producers, drawing out the tensions and relationships between different socio-sexual orders.”—Reina Lewis, author of Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel, and the Ottoman Harem
“A very important contribution to the literature on the harem, this collection will quickly become a standard text in cultural studies, Middle Eastern studies, gender studies, and the visual arts.”—Mary Roberts, author of Intimate Outsiders: The Harem in Ottoman and Orientalist Art and Travel Literature
“[A] fascinating compilation. . . . Taken together, the articles demonstrate
major historiographical advances in the field—new approaches and new questions that enable us to better understand the role of gender played in imperial and household relations and how it changed over time and place.” -- Nancy E. Gallagher * Digest of Middle East Studies *
“[A] useful lens for understanding current narratives about Muslim women as well as earlier histories, stories, and the people who wrote them.” -- M. Lynx Qualey * Women's Review of Books *
“From the examination of the public acts of the female companions of Muhammad to the changing legal structure around sexuality in Ottoman imperial law, the volume extends conceptions of the relationship between women, the harem, and the public sphere in useful ways. The extraordinary ground covered by this volume means that any scholar, regardless of his or her area of specialization, can learn something, and perhaps many things, from it.” -- Lisa Z. Sigel * History: Reviews of New Books *
“Rarely have I encountered an edited collection as coherent and focused as Harem Histories. . . . Harem Histories offers concrete historical examples of the ways that gendered space is constructed and imagined, public and private overlap and merge, and cultural interaction has complex
dynamics and consequences. Although perhaps of most interest to historians and other scholars of the Middle East, these are issues of more general concern to sociologists as well.” -- Leila J. Rupp * Contemporary Sociology *
“The thirteen contributions to this volume illuminate the complex dynamics of producing, consuming, and inhabiting harem spaces by examining a number of Western and non-Western primary sources, including novels and
memoirs, historical and legal documents, as well as architectural layouts and photographs. This vast range of sources not only creates a comprehensive mosaic of the material but also bolsters our understanding of it by virtue of the dialogue amongst the authors and chapters themselves, which adds a level of nuance, depth, and liveliness.” -- Nadine Sinno * Clio *