Social History of Women

One need only scan the literature in the social sciences to find that most of it has been about, and written by men. We have almost no contemporaneous accounts of the social development of women in the ancient world, little about women in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and only with the advent of literacy and the promulgation of material through printing can one piece together the social history of women. One may also puzzle as to the meaning of this women are inexorably linked within both the social and biological patterns of the species Homo Sapiens sapiens, yet historically the study of female development within a cultural context has been, for the most part, sublimated.1 Of course, there are exceptions to this portrayal: Cleopatra, royalty in Europe, etc., yet the general rule has been to ignore many of the underlying social currents that have been caused by women.

Clearly, one must ask questions, as many historians post1960 have attempted, about the myriad of ways in which women have impacted on various societies throughout history. Moreover, the way in which this interaction took place, with special relevance to the manner by which societal development was changed because of and by women, must form the cortex of any argument centered around human development in general.

1 For more on this biological link through evolution see Helen Fisher, The Sex Contract, (New York: William Morrow, 1982). Obviously, society could not have existed or

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culture became leaders, their own "repressive" ideas about the social development of women became dominant. Without any effective agency to use to counter this negativity, Islamic women were forced into a ____________________ 6 See Carol F. Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, (New York: Norton, 1987). male created paradigm sexually useful, intellectually and politically senseless, necessary only in society because of their ability to bear children.7 Within Muslim society at large, the role of women is largely controlled by religious dogma. Under the rubric of the Koran, women are expected to obey their husbands and produce children. Islamic society entrusts women with the role of guardians of the future in their responsibilities of bearing and rearing of children. Under this general category comes the way in which the family is perceived, and the notion that the social function of women is the preservation of the family rather than any individualistic notion.8 The situation of women in Islamic countries has undergone changes in the 20th century. Women in urban areas are often more independent than their rural counterparts. From country to country the role of women in society changes as well. For example, in

Category: History - S