TY - BOOK AU - Al-Rasheed,Madawi TI - A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi Arabia T2 - Cambridge Middle East Studies SN - 9781139015363 (ebook) AV - HQ1730 .A64 2013 U1 - 305.4209538 23 PY - 2013/// CY - Cambridge PB - Cambridge University Press N1 - Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 04 Apr 2016) N2 - Women in Saudi Arabia are often described as either victims of patriarchal religion and society or successful survivors of discrimination imposed on them by others. Madawi Al-Rasheed's new book goes beyond these conventional tropes to probe the historical, political and religious forces that have, across the years, delayed and thwarted their emancipation. The book demonstrates how, under the patronage of the state and its religious nationalism, women have become hostage to contradictory political projects that on the one hand demand female piety, and on the other hand encourage modernity. Drawing on state documents, media sources and interviews with women from across Saudi society, the book examines the intersection between gender, religion and politics to explain these contradictions and to show that, despite these restraints, vibrant debates on the question of women are opening up as the struggle for recognition and equality finally gets under way UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139015363 ER -