Pro tempore, No. 20, 2025.
Stručni rad
Narratives of Femininity in the Work of Usama ibn Munqidh
Rafał Kanas
Sažetak
This article focuses on the narrative of women and femininity in The Book of Contemplation by Usama ibn Munqidh. The author of the source, a member of the Muslim aristocracy, provides an autobiographical account covering primarily the events of the 12th century. The article analyzes the portrayal of Muslim women, who are depicted in Usama’s account as nearly ideal figures. I also examine his narrative on Christian women, about whom he did not write in similarly laudatory terms. By comparing these two contrasting depictions of femininity, I aim to illustrate how the Muslim aristocracy of the time perceived women and their roles in society. This work will address themes such as the role of women as matriarchs, their expected conduct in life-threatening situations, the significance of social hierarchy, and the prescribed nature of relationships between men and women, particularly when they were neither related by blood nor marriage. In my analysis, I employ traditional historical research methods. To examine selected passages, I use inductive reasoning to derive Usama’s perspective on contemporary femininity from specific observations. In analyzing the portrayal of Christian women, I apply the method of “reading the silences” in historical sources, as Usama omits certain aspects for various reasons. Additionally, I utilize comparative analysis to juxtapose his narratives of Christian and Muslim women. Keywords
Ključne riječi
herstory; crusades; The Book of Contemplation; Islam
Hrčak ID:
349430
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.9.2025.
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