In the Shadow of Man: Questioning the Absence of Muslim and Christian Women's voices in Medieval Polemic Writings

Authors

Kim Wortmann, Macalester College

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show how the rigid social structures in which both Muslim and Christian women found themselves in the middle ages prevented them from influencing the Christian-Muslim polemics of the time. The absence of women’s voices has left modern scholars unsure of their sentiments regarding their encounters with one another and with one another’s culture. In order to get an accurate account of such cross-cultural perceptions as those which may have formed between Muslims and Christians, it is necessary to hear the arguments and observations from all sides, including women and others who may have been socially oppressed.

Recommended Citation

Wortmann, Kim (2006) "In the Shadow of Man: Questioning the Absence of Muslim and Christian Women's voices in Medieval Polemic Writings," Macalester Islam Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/islam/vol1/iss2/2