Women's Voices in A Man's World: Women and the Pastoral Tradition in Northern Somali Orature, c. 1899-1980

by Lidwien Kapteijns

Overview

Two questions dominate this ethnographic, literary, and historical study of Somali society through its orature. First, in what ways do Somali oral texts provide information about women and gender relations in Somalisociety? Second, how do these oral texts present the concepts of "tradition" and an authentic cultural heritage and identity, particularly as these concepts affect women and gender relations? In seeking to answer these questions, Kapteijns has gathered a considerable number of Somali oral texts and popular songs. The firstpart of the book focuses on the texts from the colonial period and develops a critical ethnography of women and gender relations while the second part considers contemporary love songs as important cultural sites for debate about women and "tradition." Kapteijns' book will enlighten readers unfamiliar with the wit and spirit of Somali culture. Somali readers will find the book essential for critically engaging the received notions of their past and traditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780325001364
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/15/1999
Series:	Studies in African Literature Series
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Lidwien Kapteijns is Professor of History at Wellesley College.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	Transcription of Somali	xi
	Introduction	1
Part 1	Women and Gender Expectations in Northern Somali Orature of the "Era of Fire and Embers" (1899-1944)	9
1	Introduction to Somali Society and History in the Colonial Period	13
2	Girls in Somali Stories, Sayings, and Songs	23
3	Married Women's Obedience and Sexual Fidelity	37
4	Married Women's Work and Competence	51
	Notes to Part One	79
Part 2	Women and Gender Expectations in Somali Love Songs of the Period c. 1944-1980	99
5	The Birth of a New Genre, the Popular Song	103
6	Being in Love and Suffering Its Symptoms	111
7	Reimagining Courtship: Romantic Love Versus the Discipline of Family and Kin Group	121
8	Marriage and Its Critics: "Tradition" as a Literary Weapon	141
	Conclusion	151
	Notes to Part Two	159
	Appendix of Somali Love Songs Quoted in Part Two	165
	List of Love Songs by Title and/or First Line	167
	List of Singers and Authors	171
	Texts of Songs and Song Fragments	173
	Bibliography	209
	The Oral Sources	209
	The Written Sources	215
	Index	223