Bound Volume Number
Volume III
Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-2016
Capstone Advisor
Thomas Perreault
Capstone Major
Geography
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Keywords
Postcolonial Legacy, Middle East and North Africa
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
Geography
Abstract
The way in which women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have been portrayed in international development and rights discourse is based on a narrow, ahistorical view of Arab/Muslim majority societies, which exhibits an overconfidence in the discipline of economics and the ideology of neoliberalism, or free-market economics. Based on arguments presented by anthropologists, feminist economists, geographers, sociologists, comparative literary scholars and others, I explore in this thesis the legacy of colonialism in MENA in its various incarnations: as physical colonization in the 19th and 20th centuries; as suppression of indigenous knowledge in favor of scientific, western knowledge; as speaking on behalf of women and making general assumptions about their behaviors, desires and motivations; as ignorance of the West’s contribution to social, economic and political problems; and as the power to restructure modern Arab economies in ways that hurt poor households and women in particular.
I engage in an empirical analysis of a recent World Bank document focusing on the status of women in MENA societies and economies to determine which narratives dominate, and which viewpoints are omitted. Due to the complicated nature of everyday life in this region, I suggest that various qualitative studies, such as those presented throughout the thesis, are crucial to understanding what different women in the region want, if anything, from the international community. I also suggest that the mainstream development community curb its enthusiasm for free-market economics, as these ideologies have done more harm than good for women in MENA. Instead, the world should make an effort to listen to different viewpoints and acknowledge the complex history of western involvement that has contributed to the circumstances in which these women live.
Recommended Citation
Bass, Rachel, "Arab Women in Development: A Postcolonial Legacy" (2016). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 969.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/969
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