Gender and Politics in Kuwait: Women and Political Participation in the Gulf

by Meshal Al-Sabah

Overview

The role of women in politics in the Gulf is a much-debated and often little-understood subject in the West. In Gender and Politics in Kuwait the author sheds new light on the struggle of Kuwaiti women for political participation, examining both the positions women hold in society and politics, and the discourses surrounding feminism and civil rights. He charts the history of women and their contribution to the Kuwaiti state, from independence and the writing of the constitution in the 1960s, through the Iraqi occupation in 1990, to the struggle for the right to vote and stand for election in the twenty-first century. Drawing on the experiences of women in a range of roles in Kuwaiti society, including government, education, employment, civil society and the media, this is a comprehensive examination of gender politics and its impact in the Middle East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857734051
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	07/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	376
File size:	860 KB

About the Author

Meshal Al-Sabah is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies, King's College London. Educated at The University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, he holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from King's College London.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: 1991: A Turning Point in Kuwaiti Politics

Chapter 2: Going Back to Move Forward: Internal Debate over the Consequences of the 1990 Crisis

Chapter 3: Indirect Change: The Status of Women in the Non-Political Arena

Chapter 4: The Debate within the Ruling Family

Chapter 5: Women in Politics: The National and International Debate

Chapter 6: Sponsors and Factions of the Kuwaiti Women's Rights Movement

Chapter 7: The Future: Challenges, Expectations and Opportunities

Chapter 8: The Long Road to Success: Women in Kuwaiti Politics, 1991-2009

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"This original and valuable study provides a picture of the status of women in the only Arab Gulf country with a democratic political system. Among these states, Kuwait has made the greatest advances in the involvement of women in a broad range of public activities, including the right to vote and serve as members of the National Assembly. This book illustrates these achievements, while soberly highlighting the major past and present obstacles to progress for women's rights. It constitutes a major contribution to the literature on the Gulf, and to the ongoing struggle for rights for women in the Arab world." - Professor Rashid Khalidi, Columbia University

From the Publisher