Doing daily battle: Interviews with Moroccan women

by Fatema Mernissi

English (translation)Original French

Genres: Morocco, Nonfiction, Islam, Feminism, Race

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

AKA فاطمة المرنيسي

Mernissi was born into a middle-class family. She received her primary education in a school established by the nationalist movement, and secondary level education in an all-girls school funded by the French protectorate. In 1957, she studied political science at the Sorbonne and at Brandeis University, where she earned her doctorate. She returned to work at the Mohammed V University and taught at the Faculté des Lettres between 1974 and 1981 on subjects such as methodology, family sociology and psycho-sociology. She has become noted internationally mainly as an Islamic feminist.

As an Islamic feminist, Mernissi was largely concerned with Islam and women's roles in it, analyzing the historical development of Islamic thought and its modern manifestation. Through a detailed investigation of the nature of the succession to Muhammad, she cast doubt on the validity of some of the hadith (sayings and traditions attributed to him), and therefore the subordination of women that she saw in Islam, but not necessarily in the Qur'an.

As a sociologist, Mernissi did fieldwork mainly in Morocco. On several occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s she conducted interviews in order to map prevailing attitudes to women and work. She did sociological research for UNESCO and ILO as well as for the Moroccan authorities. In the late 1970s and in the 1980s Mernissi contributed articles to periodicals and other publications on women in Morocco and women and Islam from a contemporary as well as from a historical perspective.

In 2003, Mernissi was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award along with Susan Sontag.

Mernissi was a lecturer at the Mohammed V University of Rabat and a research scholar at the University Institute for Scientific Research, in the same city.

Reviews

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrated by charges that feminism was a Western ideal, and that Moroccan women had nothing to complain about, Mernissi conducted a series of interviews with women from across the country, of different generations and classes, to prove the critics wrong. I'm so glad she compiled the interviews--they are priceless. Some of the women were born ~1900, and yet the interviews of those born 50 years later are startlingly similar. Huge changes occurred, and yet the same experiences kept popping up: not enough money, no control, lots of family interaction. A fascinating book, rife with notations on the details of food preparation, birth control, spiritual beliefs, and social mores that used to be unmentionable in history books.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look in the lives of moroccan women in the 80s. It is at times hard to follow individual stories because details change from one question to the next or the conversation gets derailed but the overarching theme of the intersection of sex and class struggles comes through loud and clear. In fact Mernissi states this in the introduction when she warns: "You should never analyze sex discrimination outside of the context of class relations, especially when it is a matter of struggle over the symbolic values of society." And later in the book, when she speaks directly to fellow intellectuals about the importance of listening actively and openly: "It is necessary to avoid generalizing, to avoid projecting on poor women our own preoccupations and problems and, above all, to do our work as intellectuals. By this I mean: to develop our listening capacity, to be sure that we hear everything, even those things that don’t fit into our theories and our pretty constructs."

[Fatma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well referenced and written in an interview style Q & A. I would suggest to read this book along with another where you read 1 story at a time - because some of their experiences overlap and sound similar so it may be repetitive if you eat up this book in 2 days like I did.

My heart goes out to these women 🤍

[Ghennet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Experience from women of Morroco.