Our Moslem Sisters

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 400K words
Chapters: 41

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Our Moslem Sisters by Annie Van Sommer and Samuel Marinus ZwemerAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: HQ: Social sciences: The family, Marriage, Sex and Gender, Release Date: Oct 5, 2009

Editor's review

This book is an English collection co-edited by Annie Van Sommer and Samuel Marinus Zwemer, focusing on the living conditions and social roles of Muslim women, classified under social science, family, and gender. As a public-domain e-book, its value lies first in the raw state of the historical material: it presents observations and narratives of Muslim women's lives from the perspective of early twentieth-century Western missionaries, and can serve as a primary text for studying cross-cultural perception, gender issues, and the social history of religion. When reading, note that the book's observational framework bears distinct marks of its era and standpoint; it should not be cited directly as neutral ethnography, but is better read in contrast with contemporary Muslim women's own writings, examining the narrator's questions and blind spots. For general readers, it is not an easy introduction but a historical document to be entered with a critical eye; for readers interested in gender studies, colonial-era cultural writing, or comparative religion, it offers analyzable samples. It is recommended to read selected chapters with some background knowledge.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and scholars studying gender history, religion, and social relations
Readers interested in cross-cultural writing and colonial-era documents
Those interested in early twentieth-century Western missionary observational texts
Writers who need public-domain English historical materials for textual analysis

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping to read Muslim women's own accounts
General readers seeking a practical guide to contemporary gender issues
Casual readers who want only light, story-driven reading

Reading tips

First read the editors' preface and table of contents to understand the book's framework and narrative stance, then select chapters for close reading.
Read alongside a contemporary Muslim woman's autobiographical work, noting differences between observer and observed perspectives.
While reading, note the narrator's assumptions and word choices as material for critical analysis.
For the English original, read one chapter through first to grasp the style, then closely read key passages; there is no need to advance at uniform speed page by page.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as an introduction to understanding Muslim women?

Not very. It is an early twentieth-century English document whose narrative perspective bears clear marks of its era and of missionary stance, making it more suitable as research material than as an introduction. To understand Muslim women, it is advisable to first read contemporary Muslim women's own writing, then treat this book as a comparative historical text.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The original is in English and was written in an earlier period, with somewhat old-fashioned syntax and wording; above-intermediate English reading ability is needed. You can try one chapter first; if it feels difficult, focus on the editors' preface and clearly structured chapters, using dictionaries and tools as aids.

What is the historical value of this book?

Its value lies in preserving a way of observing and narrating within a specific historical context, which readers studying cross-cultural perception, gender issues, and the social history of religion can analyze. When using it, distinguish between descriptions in the text and the narrator's judgments, and avoid taking the book's views directly as facts.

With what attitude should one read this book?

Critical reading is recommended: note the editors' criteria for selection, the narrators' standpoints, and which voices are presented and which are ignored. Reading it alongside materials on the same topic from different sources will make the text's historical limitations and documentary significance clearer.

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