Politics of Piety—Saba Mahmood 121

Women in Islam

Saba Mahmood

Politics of Piety: The IslamicRevival and the Feminist

Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press,2005. 233p. $55.00.ISBN: 069108694X. $17.95. Pbk:ISBN: 0691086958.

Review byRachel Simon, Ph.D.Princeton University

Saba Mahmood, an assistant professor of anthropology ofPakistani origin at the University of California at Berkeley,

was involved in the 1970s in secular feminist activities in hercountry of origin. For many years she focused on feminist issuesand the role of religion in society. This book is an analysis of womenand the Islamic revival movement in Egypt, focusing on thegrassroots women’s piety movement in Cairo’s mosques. The studyis based on an extensive field study Mahmood undertook in Cairoduring 1995-1997 which she puts within elaborate theoreticalframework. Mahmood’s aim is “… to analyze the conceptions ofself, moral agency and politics that undergrid the practices of thisnon liberal movement, in order to come to an understanding of itshistorical projects that animate it.” (p.5) The book includes fivechapters, an epilogue, a glossary, an extensive reference list, andan index.

The first chapter, “The Subject of Freedom” (p.1-39) providesa theoretical examination of the notion of “freedom”, includingpoststructuralist feminist theory and agency, manifest norms andethical formation, and ethics and politics. This will be of greatinterest for those immersed in theoretical analysis. In the secondchapter, “Topography of the Piety Movement” (p. 40-78), Mahmooddescribes and examines the female participants of study groupsand their activities in several mosques in Cairo which she hadregularly attended and interviewed some of their members. Themosques were in different parts of town and the women whoattended the lessons were from various walks of life as were their

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female preachers whose scholarly background and teaching stylewas quite varied. This part of the book is very revealing regardingthe involvement of large number of women of all socioeconomicclasses and age groups in the piety movement. The third chapter,“Pedagogies of Persuation” (p.79-117) focuses on the femalepreachers of these study groups, their socioeconomic and culturalbackground, beliefs, and teaching styles. Mahmood analyzesseveral cases showing how the preachers deal with difficultquestions posed by group members and examines the relationsbetween the preacher and the group. The fourth chapter deals with“Positive Ethics and Ritual Conventions” (p.118-152), examiningissues like piety and prayer and the role of ritual performance asa means and an end. The examples provided from Mahmood’sobservations are analyzed within her theoretical framework. Thefifth chapter, “Agency, Gender and Embodiment” (p.153-188)analyzes the role of the preachers in forming the women’s pietymovement and their impact on Islamic revival in Egypt. The bookconcludes in an “Epilogue” (p.189-199) summarizing the author’sviews regarding the position of women in the piety movement andthe implications of the movement on Egyptian society and Islamicrevival.

Mahmood combines a detailed description and examinationof women’s activities in several mosques in Cairo with a thoroughand original theoretical framework. Her close relations for anextensive period of time with several study groups and theirleaders allowed her close observance of the activities and relationswithin these groups. She provides interesting details on theeducational and religious background of the preachers, theirteaching style and relations with the groups they lead. Similarly,Mahmood describes in detail the composition of the varied studygroups in different parts of Cairo.

Thus, her field study is very revealing regarding social,economic, educational and religious issues of the Muslim women’smovement in Egypt. Mahmood puts much emphasis on thetheoretical analysis relating to the piety movement in general andthe role of women in it in particular. The book is of greatimportance regarding the position of women within the Muslimpiety movement in Egypt. It is of interest for those dealing withIslamic revival and women issues not only in Egypt or the MiddleEast and North Africa but also to those dealing with the role ofreligion in life and gender issues worldwide.