Barren Women: Religion and Medicine in the Medieval Middle East

Sara Verskin

Open Access Published by De Gruyter 2020

Barren Women

Religion and Medicine in the Medieval Middle East

Sara Verskin

Volume 2 in the series Islam – Thought, Culture, and Society

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110596588

Overview
Contents

About this book

New Series

Barren Women is the first scholarly book to explore the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world. Through an examination of legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching, Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions; legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate.

In so doing, she highlights underappreciated vulnerabilities and opportunities for women’s autonomy within the system of Islamic family law, and explores the diverse marketplace of medical ideas in the medieval world and the perceived connection between women’s health practices and religious heterodoxy.

Featuring copious translations of primary sources and minimal theoretical jargon, Barren Women provides a multidimensional perspective on the experience of infertility, while also enhancing our understanding of institutions and modes of thought which played significant roles in shaping women’s lives more broadly.

This monograph has been awarded the annual BRAIS – De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World.

Author / Editor information

Sara Verskin, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI, USA.

Topics

Frontmatter Open Access Download PDF	I
Acknowledgements Open Access Download PDF	VII
Contents Open Access Download PDF	XI
Studying Infertility in the Medieval Islamic World: Why and How Open Access Download PDF	1
Part I: Infertility and Islamic Law Throughout the Life Cycle
Introduction to Part I Open Access Download PDF	25
1 Infertility and the Purposes of Marriage in Legal Theory Open Access Download PDF	26
2 Law and Biology: Menstruation, Amenorrhea, and Legal Recognition of Reproductive Status Open Access Download PDF	57
3 Islamic Law and the Prospects of Women Presumed to be Infertile Open Access Download PDF	93
Conclusion to Part I: The Intersection of Islamic Law and Women’s Biology Open Access Download PDF	111
Part II: Arabo-Galenic Gynecology and the Treatment of Infertile Women
Introduction to Part II Open Access Download PDF	117
4 Gynecological Theory in Arabo-Galenic Medicine Open Access Download PDF	123
5 Physicians, Midwives, and Female Patients Open Access Download PDF	175
Conclusion to Part II: Medicine and Sexism Open Access Download PDF	203
Part III: Healing and Religious Vulnerability
Introduction to Part III Open Access Download PDF	207
6 Religiously Classifying the Medical Marketplace of Ideas Open Access Download PDF	211
7 Heterodoxy and Healthcare Among Women Open Access Download PDF	237
Conclusion to Part III: A Tafsīr about the First Woman’s Fertility and Theological Vulnerability Open Access Download PDF	271
Epilogue: Infertility and the Study of Women’s History Open Access Download PDF	276
Bibliography Open Access Download PDF	285
Index Open Access Download PDF	303

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: All those interested in women and religion; Islamic family law; History of medicine; Medieval patriarchy
Pages
- Front matter: 14
- Main content: 310
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 1
- Tables: 2
Keywords: Women in Islam; Islamic family law; history of medicine; infertility

eBook

Published: April 6, 2020
ISBN: 9783110596588

Hardcover

Published: April 6, 2020
ISBN: 9783110595673

Paperback

Published: January 31, 2022
ISBN: 9783110681628