Women's Autobiography in Islamic Societies: The Ultimate Unveiling?

A glance through the bestseller list of any mainstream newspaper reveals the popularity of autobiography as a literary genre. This obsession with autobiography should be of especial interest to historians, as, for many writers and readers of the genre, it is their only means of engaging with the past. Yet those in other disciplines have been far more open to the study of autobiography as a cultural phenomenon. Women's autobiography in particular has attracted growing scholarly attention from gender specialists as an evolving literary form that can offer important insights into changing notions of the self, social and political discourses, and the construction of national, racial and gender identities. The majority of this work, however, has focused on women's autobiography in Europe and North America with only a small group of isolated scholars - primarily those to be brought together by this network - addressing women's autobiography in Islamic societies. Their studies point to the richness of this material, particularly in recovering the experiences of women so often hidden from public view on account of the veil. Still, to draw comparisons across the geographical and temporal spread of the Islamic world would be an entirely new undertaking. It would allow the amalgamation of individual case studies, while also highlighting the importance of historical and geographical context and the significance of disciplinary approach.

The aim of this network, then, is to foster an interdisciplinary and comparative approach by bringing together a core group of fifteen scholars already completing individual research on women's autobiography in Islamic societies. Running through their debates will be the question of whether writing one's own life in a cultural context that idealises women's public anonymity represents a dramatic revelation of the female self: 'the ultimate unveiling', to borrow the words of Farzaneh Milani (2007: 220). A first stage will be to assess the source materials used by members of the group as a means to thinking about terminology and definitions - or 'defining the genre'. The second stage of the project, on 'context and construction', would move outside the text to examine particular historical and geographical context. In simple terms, who writes, why, how and for whom? A third stage will refocus on the content of autobiographical narratives by identifying various themes and sub-themes: from shifting nationality and regional identity to motherhood, the home and sexuality. As these motifs suggest ways in which an author chooses to present herself, whether intentionally or otherwise, the emphasis will be on 'representation and identity'. The project will thus appeal to those interested in women's history, Islam and autobiographical literature.

The participants are incredibly varied in disciplinary terms, representing history, languages and literature, cultural theory, art history and women's studies. Among them are participants from countries and regions targeted in the AHRC's International Strategy, including the United States and South Asia. Others represent institutions in the area of study, namely, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh. At the project's heart will be three main network events focusing on the themes cited above as they arise from the existing literature. These events will be held at the South Asian Institute, University of Texas (February 2010), the India International Centre, Delhi (December 2010) and the American University Sharjah (November 2011). Between these meetings, participants will continue discussion via email, and by posting work-in-progress and news of events on a project website. They will reach out to a broader audience by organising panels on particular regions or types of autobiographical literature at major international conferences. The resultswill then be disseminated through appropriate academic forums.