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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The Impact of Islam on Women in Senegal |
Author: | Creevey, Lucy E. |
Year: | 1991 |
Periodical: | Journal of Developing Areas |
Volume: | 25 |
Issue: | 3 |
Period: | April |
Pages: | 347-368 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Senegal |
Subjects: | Islam women Women's Issues Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Labor and Employment Religion and Witchcraft Cultural Roles Education and Training Status of Women gender |
External links: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/4191991 http://search.proquest.com/pao/docview/1311647531 |
Abstract: | This paper explores the impact of Islam on the status of women in Senegal. The underlying concern of this discussion is whether or not religious beliefs determine the role and status of women in predominantly Muslim societies. The study explores the ways in which Islam interacts with pre-Islamic customs, influences from the West in the colonial and postcolonial era, and the demands of a growing economy. It shows that women in Senegal remain in a second-class position in terms of their rights and privileges in society. Although this situation is changing as society modernizes and women receive more education, women still face many barriers to their equal enjoyment of social, economic and political institutions. Evidence in the paper suggests that the influence of Islam has not been unidirectional. Islam both undermined and strengthened the position of women. Furthermore, the position of women cannot be understood without a close study of traditional, pre-Islamic beliefs and family organization as well as of the influences of the West that were initially brought to Senegal by French colonization. Notes, ref. |