Moroccan Female Religious Agents: Old Practices and New Perspectives (Women and Gender: the Middle East and the Islamic World, 17)

In Moroccan Female Religious Agents: Old Practices and New Perspectives , Ouguir presents a study of the way Moroccan women saints and Sufis constructed sainthood that transgressed the conventional norms and the way they are received by modern Moroccan venerators and feminist Islamists activists. Contents Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration Chapter 1 Introduction: Theories and Concepts 1 A Review 2 Research Design 3 The Conceptual Background Chapter 2 Sufism and Gender 1 Moroccan Islam 2 Approaches to Moroccan Islam 3 Sufism in Relation to Gender 4 Women’s Mysticism in Islamic History 5 Islamic Hagiography 6 Moroccan Hagiography 7 Diversity, Hierarchy and Authenticity Chapter 3 Moroccan Female Saints 1 The Construction of Sainthood 2 Types of Agency 3 Women Saints: ʿAzīza ʾal-Saksāwiyya (14th Century), ʿĀʾisha ʿal-ʿIdrīsiya (16th Century) and Fāṭima Muhdūz (19th Century) Chapter 4 Moroccan Women Venerators’ Reception of Historical Women Saints 1 Devoted Women, Shrines and Saint Veneration 2 Murshidāt and Waʿiḍāt as Religious Agents 3 Murshidāt’s and Wāʿiẓāt’s Reception of Women Saints 4 Murshidāt’s and Wāʿiẓāt’s Attendees Chapter 5 Moroccan Feminist Activists’ Reception of Historical Women Saints 1 Moroccan Feminism 2 Islamist Feminist Associations 3 Moroccan Feminist Activists’ Reception of Women Saints 4 Islamist Feminism Conclusion Bibliography Index In Moroccan Female Religious Agents: Old Practices and New Perspectives, Ouguir studies Moroccan female religious agents in particular historical women saints and Sufis, the way they constructed powerful saintly personalities that challenged the dominant conventional norms, and the way they are received by venerators and feminist Islamist activists of modern Morocco. Through hagiographic and oral narratives, Ouguir examines the techniques religious women followed to achieve ethical self-formation and strong religious personalities that promoted them to leadership. She also examined the venerators', murshidᾱt and Islamist feminists'reception of women saints in their discourses. Ouguir states convincingly that Moroccan religious women agents in both Morocco's past and present are to be highlighted for broader discourses on Muslim women and feminism. In Moroccan Female Religious Agents: Old Practices and New Perspectives, Ouguir studies Moroccan female religious agents in particular historical women saints and Sufis, the way they constructed powerful saintly personalities that challenged the dominant conventional norms, and the way they are received by venerators and feminist Islamist activists of modern Morocco. Through hagiographic and oral narratives, Ouguir examines the techniques religious women followed to achieve ethical self-formation and strong religious personalities that promoted them to leadership. She also examined the venerators', murshidᾱt and Islamist feminists' reception of women saints in their discourses. Ouguir states convincingly that Moroccan religious women agents in both Morocco's past and present are to be highlighted for broader discourses on Muslim women and feminism