The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women

This first in a series of four encyclopedias based on the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World is edited by Wahhabi scholar DeLong-Bas and includes contributors that form a modern who's who of Islamic scholarship. The volume offers clear, readable text, ample bibliographies and cross-references, and a comprehensive index and topical outline of entries. There are no illustrations or maps, which is a shame as some of the articles—those on cosmetics and veiling, for example, or describing geographical areas perhaps unfamiliar to Western readers—could benefit from them. The goal of the articles, according to the editor, is to "showcase the myriad ways in which women, both past and present, have played a vital role at all levels of family and society." Beginning with ten "themes," including "Self and Body," "Politics and Polity," and "Religion, Theory, Practice, and Interpretation," the contributors discuss aspects of women and Islam in ways that are both balanced and surprising. For many readers, the discussions of topics such as veiling, gender equality, and the economic and political contributions of women to Islamic society will be new and unexpected, given the stereotypical views of Islam that dominate much discourse in the West. Many articles discuss both historical and contemporary aspects of a particular topic and take pains to trace the development of thought and culture in a specific area.