The penultimate lecture in our series on Muslim sacred law, given by Amira Sonbol, professor at Georgetown University in Doha, Qatar.

Amira Sonbol's lecture is devoted to shari'a court records and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) as sources of women's history. Taking the issue of sexuality in Islamic sources as a starting point, the lecture shows how scholarship on this issue stimulates further scholarship that is provinding a greater understanding of the impact of the state and modernity on the life of women as well as new instruments by which to contest state control of gender and women. Secondly, it also shows how various sources can be used for historical research beyond what is normative. Shari`a court records and fatwas use to be examined for discussion of legal issues. Here she tries to expand their usage and show how they could be valuable in uncovering various aspects of the life of women and of gender relations.

Amira Sonbol specializes in the history of modern Egypt, Islamic history and law, women, gender and Islam and is the author of several books including "The New Mamluks:Egyptian Society and Modern Feudalism"; "Women, the Family and Divorce Laws in Islamic History"; "The Creation of a Medical Profession in Egypt: 1800-1922"; "The Memoirs of Abbas Hilmi II: Sovereign of Egypt"; "Women of the Jordan: Islam, Labor and Law"; "Beyond the Exotic: Muslim Women's Histories." Professor Sonbol is Editor-in-Chief of "HAWWA: the Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World", published by E.J. Brill and Co-Editor of "Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations", a quarterly journal co-published with Selly Oak Colleges (UK). She teaches courses on the History of Modern Egypt, Women and Law, and Islamic Civilization.

Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/conference-series-on-shari%E2%80%99a-or-the-sacred-law-of-muslims#15203