Narrative, Gender and Authority

321 Pages·2010·4.48 MB·English

Narrative, Gender and Authority
in ‘Abbāsid Literature on Women
ORIENTALIA ET AFRICANA GOTHOBURGENSIA 22

Narrative, Gender and Authority
in ‘Abbāsid Literature on Women

PERNILLA MYRNE
© PERNILLA MYRNE, 2010

ISSN 1404-3556
ISBN 978-91-7346-673-8

ORIENTALIA ET AFRICANA GOTHOBURGENSIA
Founded by Bernhard Lewin
Editors: Karsten Legère, Jan Retsö, Noriko Thunman
ISSN 1404-3556

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Abstract

Title: Narrative, Gender and Authority in „Abbāsid Literature on
Women
Author: Pernilla Myrne
University: University of Gothenburg, Department of Oriental and
African Languages

The „Abbāsid dynasty came to power after a revolution in 750, and
ruled the vast Muslim empire until the 930s and 940s. This period has
often been dubbed the golden era of Islam, due to its prospering and
often innovative cultural and scientific production. During this period,
some of the fundamental texts in Islam were produced, collections of
traditions from the Prophet Mu ammad and his followers, Qur‟ān
exegesis, jurisprudence and the legal discussions which led to the
Islamic laws (sharī‘a). These texts are often referred to when
women‟s situation in Islam is discussed. However, curiously,
women‟s status in „Abbāsid literature is frequently examined without
taking in account the breadth of this literature with its seemingly
paradoxical images of issues such as gender, sex and women. This
study attempts to contribute to a more comprehensive picture of
women and gender in „Abbāsid literature, analyzing texts about
women from completely different contexts with the help of
narratology, in particular the methods elaborated by Gérard Genette
and Mieke Bal. The texts analysed in this thesis are the biographies of
pious women in Kitāb al-tabaqāt al-kabīr by Ibn Sa„d (d. 845), in
particular Mu ammad‟s wife „Ā‟isha bint Abī Bakr, the biography of
the „Abbāsid court singer „Arīb, by Abū al-Faraj al-I fahānī (d. 967)
and the volume on women, Kitāb al-nisā’, in the adab anthology
‘Uyūn al-akhbār, by Ibn Qutayba (d. 889). The analyses explore how
narrative technique is used to create authority, or authenticity, in the
distinctive khabar-literature, to which all the analyzed texts belong.
Moreover, the construction of gender is discussed, along with gender-
based hierarchies and different approaches towards authority. The
women‟s biographies in Ibn Sa„d‟s work are arranged around two
poles: women‟s object-positions in marriage and subject-positions in
piety, linguistically as well as thematically. Here, it is argued, we may
discern a normative tendency, which acknowledges women‟s capacity
to act as individuals, as long as it is within certain spheres of society.
These texts provide a static model for gender relationships, where the
husband is always the absolute authority, reflecting a view of
hierarchy as being constant. Conversely, the anecdotes in the more
profane texts often have as their main point the overturning of
hierarchies, and women have mostly the last word. Hierarchies and
authorities are challenged on a thematic as well as a linguistic level.
Possibly, the disagreement in women‟s possibilities and positions
between the religious and the profane texts are due to the
interpretation of the first Muslim community in Medina as being
stable, whereas positions and hierarchies in „Abbāsid Iraq are
uncertain and fluctuating. Although these positions are literary motifs,
the analyses give an idea about the limits of thinkable behaviours and
roles of women, limits that are far more flexible and permitting than
generally maintained.

Acknowledgements

First of all, I want to thank my teachers in Arabic, as well as literature
and cultural studies in Gothenburg, Damascus and Ramallah. They
filled me with enthusiasm for the arts and for the beautiful Arabic
language and the fascinating Arabic civilization. The friendliness and
generosity I met with during my travels and studies in the Arab world
encouraged me to learn more and filled me with respect and emotions
for this part of the world.
When I began studying Arabic at the University of Gothenburg in
1991, the lectures of Professor Jan Retsö were outstanding so when I
finally decided to commence my doctoral studies I was happy to have
him as my supervisor. It was he who directed my attention to the
classical Arabic literature on women, which he deemed as a suitable
subject for me. I owe him my deepest gratefulness for this
recommendation, as I have found a subject that will keep my attention
for a long time. I am thankful for his support and comments during the
years I worked on this thesis. I also wish to thank the University of
Gothenburg and the Faculty of Arts, who gave me the opportunity to
embark on this research, and Kungliga och Hvitfeldtska stiftelsen for
helping me financially to accomplish it.
Among other scholars who have supported me, I thank especially
Professor Mats Jansson, University of Gothenburg, for encouraging
help with the literary methodology and analyses, Dr. Judith Josephson
for reading and commenting upon the manuscript, Professor Geert Jan
van Gelder, University of Oxford, for essential corrections, Professor
Bo Holmberg, Lund University, for valuable comments in the final
stage, and Associative Professor Lena Ambjörn, Lund University, as
well as Associate Professor Tetz Rooke, University of Gothenburg,
for their friendly encouragement and support.
I wish to express my thanks to Lena Voigt and Ferenc Tafferner,
whose assistance I could not have been without, and to the other
colleagues at the former Department of Oriental and African
Languages for the cheerful and warm atmosphere. In addition, I thank
my colleagues at the Middle Eastern seminar, especially Ann-Kristin,
and among the doctoral students at the faculty of Art, as well as my
friends, with whom I have discussed parts of the thesis during the
years. Houda and Houda made the dissertation party unforgettable,
with aid from Monica, Pia, Susanne, Yusra, Tove, Nora and others.
Finally, I am deeply thankful to my wonderful family. My parents
Monica and Leif supported me all the time and especially with baby-
sitting the last months, together with my sisters Anna and Sara, who
have all been involved in my dissertation project. Kenneth gave me
love, strength and courage. My beloved children, Julia and Alfred, I
dedicate this work to you. I hope it will encourage you to find your
own ways of discovering the delights and mysteries of this world.

Note on transliteration and translation
I follow the system for transliteration adopted by the Encyclopaedia of
Islam, except that I render ج as j. Titles of works and technical terms
have been provided with English translations. In the case of technical
terms that are used extensively in the text, the English translation is
only given the first time of mention, after that the Arabic word is used.
Table of contents

Chapter 1: Introduction, theory and method ................................. 1
Aim ............................................................................................ 3
Earlier research .......................................................................... 4
Gender, history and narratives on women: a theoretical
framework ............................................................................... 13
Method .................................................................................... 20
Narrative rhythm, situation and focalization ....................... 24
Subject-positions ................................................................. 29
Chapter 2: Background ............................................................... 33
„Abbāsid literature: genres and forms ..................................... 35
Khabar and history .................................................................. 38
History-writing and biography ............................................ 42
Adab .................................................................................... 43
The works and their authors .................................................... 45
Ibn Sa„d and Kitāb al- -kabīr ............................... 46
and women ........................................................ 48
Abū al-Faraj and Kitāb al-aghānī ....................................... 52
Women in Aghānī ........................................................... 54
Women and the power of music .......................................... 56
Music and slavery ............................................................... 60
Ibn Qutayba and ‘Uyūn al-akhbār ...................................... 62
The Book on Women in ‘Uyūn al-akhbār ...................... 64
Adab, anecdotes and gender ................................................ 66
Chapter 3: Narrative and authority .............................................. 69
Narratives on pious women: „Ā‟isha bint Abī Bakr ................ 70
Structure and themes ........................................................... 74
Statements and narrative levels ........................................... 77
Narrative situation ............................................................... 80
Direct speech and witnesses ................................................ 83
Narratives of female singers: The biography of „Arīb ............ 87
Narrative devices for extraordinary claims ......................... 93
INTRODUCTION
The heterodiegetic flow – narrative starting points ............. 98
Creating authority in narrative ............................................ 99
Chapter 4: The Book on Women .............................................. 100
Themes in Kitāb al-nisā’ ....................................................... 101
Analysis: Women‟s positions in Kitāb al-nisā’ .................... 120
Ideological objectification ................................................. 122
Living for her husband and her people ......................... 124
Executing the husband‟s order ...................................... 130
Orders and pragmatic obedience ................................... 134
Subject-positions ............................................................... 138
Verbal battles and witty women .................................... 138
Women‟s desires and male virtues ................................ 146
Women‟s desires ........................................................... 152
The evil actions of women ............................................ 154
Object-positions ................................................................ 158
The secluded beauty and veiled ghoul .......................... 159
The lousy leather collar and the crooked rib ................. 162
Romantic love and unhierarchical relationships ............... 167
Conclusion ............................................................................. 168
Chapter 5: „Ā‟isha and her pious sisters ................................... 170
Subjects of narration ............................................................. 171
Objects of marriage, subjects of pious endeavours for Islam 174
Language and power ............................................................. 176
Women‟s allegiance, marriages and seclusion ...................... 178
The mother of his children ................................................ 180
„Ā‟isha‟s marriage ............................................................. 182
„Ā‟isha‟s wedding story .................................................... 183
Scenes from „Ā‟isha‟s married life ................................... 184
Conflicting images of women ............................................... 187
Umm Salama ..................................................................... 188
The war heroes: Umm „Umāra and Umm Sulaym ........... 191
„Women are among the weak‟ .......................................... 197
Ideological object-positions .................................................. 198
The choice ......................................................................... 199
Subjugation to the husband as a pious deed and model for
reconciliation ..................................................................... 200
Conclusion: models of authority ........................................... 208
Chapter 6: „Arīb and the singers ............................................... 210
Love and friendship ............................................................... 211
Objects of their masters, subjects in their professions ............ 213
Language and power ............................................................. 215
Power, authority and (dis)obedience ..................................... 219
Pragmatic obedience: to obey without obeying ................ 221
„I am a free woman!‟ ......................................................... 223
A free woman‟s paradox ................................................... 225
Discourses of desire .............................................................. 226
Poetry and narrative: two discourses, two focalizations ....... 231
„Arīb and the hospitable woman ....................................... 232
Conclusion: authority and disobedience ............................... 235
Chapter 7: Conclusion ............................................................... 238
Narrative technique and gender-positions ............................... 238
Gender and ‘Abbāsid literature ............................................... 243
Appendix 1 ................................................................................ 248
Appendix 2 ................................................................................ 272
Bibliography .............................................................................. 299
Primary sources ..................................................................... 299
Secondary sources ................................................................. 300