Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region

The fourth volume, focused on Northern Africa, includes more than 100 texts from Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. This pioneering volume includes works from 3000 BCE to the present; from an Egyptian Queen's marriage proposal to contemporary women promoting new marriage and family laws. In addition to Berber poetry and oral history, much prose in the volume is original, and many names will resonate with modern readers, including Leila Abou Zeid, Amina Arfaoui, Salwa Bakr, Assia Djebar, Nawal El Saadawi, and Fatima Mernissi. Important themes include polygamy, FGM, the veil, education, and political participation.