Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women

A discussion of So long a letter by the West African woman writer, Mariama Ba, is used as a basis for highlighting the empowering and disempowering effects of particular types of education for women in the traditional African-Muslim context of Senegal. An examination of this issue in the novella wo...

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Main Author: Rizwana Latha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2004-04-01
Series:Acta Academica
Online Access:http://196.255.246.28/index.php/aa/article/view/820
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author Rizwana Latha
author_facet Rizwana Latha
author_sort Rizwana Latha
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description A discussion of So long a letter by the West African woman writer, Mariama Ba, is used as a basis for highlighting the empowering and disempowering effects of particular types of education for women in the traditional African-Muslim context of Senegal. An examination of this issue in the novella would seem to indicate that the marginalization of Muslim women in this and other countries could be alleviated by a religious education which would investigate the differences between Islamic principles and cultural practices as one of its key focus areas. Combined with a secular education taking cognisance of present-day hybrid identities in postcolonial and other states, this approach has the potential to empower Muslim women to become socially and politically active and thereby to reconstruct their status in societies in which the forces of traditionalism often overpower both basic Islamic principles and state legislation designed to promote women’s rights.
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spelling doaj.art-c0d6ebdb7c9f46bb952ee6f30f9ea6652024-03-18T11:07:53ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Academica0587-24052415-04792004-04-0136110.38140/aa.v36i1.820Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim womenRizwana Latha0University of South Africa A discussion of So long a letter by the West African woman writer, Mariama Ba, is used as a basis for highlighting the empowering and disempowering effects of particular types of education for women in the traditional African-Muslim context of Senegal. An examination of this issue in the novella would seem to indicate that the marginalization of Muslim women in this and other countries could be alleviated by a religious education which would investigate the differences between Islamic principles and cultural practices as one of its key focus areas. Combined with a secular education taking cognisance of present-day hybrid identities in postcolonial and other states, this approach has the potential to empower Muslim women to become socially and politically active and thereby to reconstruct their status in societies in which the forces of traditionalism often overpower both basic Islamic principles and state legislation designed to promote women’s rights. http://196.255.246.28/index.php/aa/article/view/820
spellingShingle Rizwana Latha
Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
Acta Academica
title Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
title_full Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
title_fullStr Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
title_full_unstemmed Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
title_short Mariama Ba’s So long a letter and the educational empowerment of Muslim women
title_sort mariama ba s so long a letter and the educational empowerment of muslim women
url http://196.255.246.28/index.php/aa/article/view/820
work_keys_str_mv AT rizwanalatha mariamabassolongaletterandtheeducationalempowermentofmuslimwomen