Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village

Guests of the Sheik has ratings and reviews. Rian said: Though the subtitle is An Ethnography, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book d.
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Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village - Elizabeth Warnock Fernea - Google Книги

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Please try again later. This is a great look at s, rural, female, Iraqi culture. It was fascinating to read about a time and culture so different. The author actually lived in a rural community in Iraq for years so she thoroughly learned about the village lifestyle, and expectations of women in various levels of social interactions--home, family, community. It's a story about her experience and is in no way "text-bookish," which made it an easy read. I also appreciate the author's respectful tone and willingness to learn with little negative judgment about cultural differences.

What a fabulous book about 's life in Iraq as a woman and what they faced and what their lives were like - many were so happy in their sheltered existences as part of the Sheik's "family".


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Truly an eye opening narrative. I wonder if much has changed. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful.

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I bought this book for an Anthropology course, but it is one that I won't be selling at the end of the year. Fernea is an engaging writer and despite this being an assigned reading, I found myself reading ahead. Fernea spent nearly two year living with the women of the Iraqi village and she learned much about them and their lives in the time period. However, her ethnography is not a dry description of what she learned. Instead, she presents that information through a series of anecdotes that tell about their lives and her struggle to fit into their lifestyle.

I had to read this book for a class, but actually found it quite interesting. Not a book I would read more than once, but still an insightful and interesting read. One person found this helpful. This is my second copy of this book. The author writes about her and her husbands' experiences for two years in Iraq as a newly married Americans.

Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village

In order to help her husband with his doctorate, she agreed to live in purdah, wear the abayah, and record her experiences with the women. I believe she was faithful to relating her time there; her writing style is gentle and humorous, giving great insight to her relationships with the women she befriended there. Daphne S Fulton Top Contributor: Very interesting book that takes you back in time to another place to learn their culture. The first-hand account is told in a compelling manner and I read it in a couple of days.

Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. One of the best ethnographies I've read. Fun, descriptive, and truly puts you into Elizabeth's journey. One of the few books I remember from college. I don't remember anything about any of the books I read in college, but I do remember this one. The western perspective was dead on and I really related to it. Although, I didn't finish the book, I think this would be excellent for anyone planning on traveling to the Middle East. See all 79 reviews. The book begins with newlywed Fernea's journey with her husband to the village where they will be living.

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It speaks of her misgivings about being such an outsider, entering such an unfamiliar environment, and shows her resentment at beginning her marriage living in a two-room mud hut with no plumbing. The story is one of a U. She speaks of her rebellion against wearing an abaya long black cloak , and her loneliness of being an alien who doesn't speak the language and doesn't understand the lifestyle.

Her description of village life is very much filtered through her own perceptions as a 's-era American woman. Gradually, as the book progresses, Fernea grows to become more comfortable with village life, and becomes accepted by the local women. It is a story not only of rural Iraqi culture, but also of Fernea's personal development as she learns how to fit in. As the story unfolds, Fernea covers her observations of the day-to-day life of the women in the tribe, the process of slowly making friends with them as she learns their language, and the local Shiite religious observances that she had the opportunity to observe.

She talks about the veiling of women, the practice of polygamy in that village, the hard manual labor that is part of everyone's life, the religious customs, the food that people eat, the structure of society, and the encroachment of modern "civilized" life on the traditional rural culture. At last, in the time comes for Fernea and her husband to return to the U.

Guests of the Sheik

A final chapter, titled, "Post Script", closes the book. Six years after Fernea left Iraq, her husband returned there for a visit and brought home a packet of letters for her from the women. In this chapter, she provides updates on "where they are now", six years later. This book makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in other cultures. It contains all the elements that make for great fiction such as character development, interesting plot, and a writing style that brings the story to life.

Except, it's not fiction - it's the true story of the author's experiences living with real-world people, which makes the book even more interesting to read. However, it's important to realize that the events it describes occurred in the 's. It would be a mistake to believe that Iraqi communities today are still exactly like the one the author observed.