Jihad of Words: Gender and Contemporary Karbala Narratives

Author: Hamdar, Abir

Source: The Yearbook of English Studies, Volume 39, Numbers 1-2, 1 july 2009 , pp. 84-100(17)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract:

This paper discusses the discourse of female jihad in contemporary Karbala narratives of Shi'i Islam, specifically Twelver Shi'is. It argues that a gender-dynamic transformation has emerged with regard to the transmission of the Karbala narrative, as well as a renewed attention to the role of women in the aftermath of this battle. Today, the retelling of the story of Karbala involves positioning the role of women within a discourse that can only be described as a `Jihad of Words' that the female descendants of the Prophet, such as Zaynab, undertook. Moreover, the paper highlights the fact that the gender-infused themes within the Karbala narratives have been influenced by contemporary socio-political events in certain countries such as Lebanon and Iran.

Keywords: Female jihad; Karbala; Shi'i; Twelver; gender; Zaynab; narratives

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: SOAS, University of London

Publication date: 2009-07-01

More about this publication?

A supplement to the Modern Language Review, this journal includes articles and reviews on the language and literature of the English-speaking world. Most of the volumes published so far are 'Special Numbers', collections of between fifteen and eighteen commissioned articles on particular topics, such as the impact of the French Revolution on English writers; literature in the modern media; and colonial and imperial themes in literature.