Policing Egyptian Women

This book looks at the formation of the modern (pre-colonial) Egyptian State in the late 19th century through the lens of police and other official interactions with women, particularly non-elite women where their sexual behavior is concerned. Kozma (Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, Hebrew U.) focuses on women at the margins--slaves, prostitutes and those who had sex before or outside of marriage--because the way the community policed these women registers changes in the over-all relationship between the state and society. The first two chapters focus on the institutions of law and medicine and how these affected traditional family life. The latter three are devoted to those mentioned categories of marginal female identity. Kozma draws heavily on the detailed police records kept in Khedival Egypt, which she argues offers an unparalleled lens on the emerging bureaucracy. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Liat Kozma is a lecturer at the Hebrew University. Her articles and research interests focus on women and sexuality in the modern Middle East. She has published articles in the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and the Journal of North African Studies.