Abstract:The book under review, which is divided into five chapters, an introduction,and a conclusion, investigates how gender, sexuality, and concepts of womanhoodwere deployed to express cultural differences in order to formulateand articulate the Abbasid identity and legitimize the new dynasty’s authority.El Cheikh argues that Abbasid-era texts used gendered metaphors and conceptsof sexual difference to describe those groups they perceived as a threat.The “Introduction” opens with an overview of the book’s scope and… Show more
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