Books?

[lamaupin]

I've just been nominated (by Peace Corps) for North Africa/the Middle East. Which, looking at the countries in which they operate, means Morocco or Jordan. My question for you is, can you recommend any good ethnographies

Comments

[lamaupin]

I will definitely check that out for the bit on Morocco. Thank you!

[buboniclou]

There's a fabulous memoir of growing up a girl in Morocco in the 40s-50s, called Dreams of Trespass. I read it for a course in women's history but there is a certain amount of insider ethnography, if you wanted to call it that.

[lamaupin]

Sounds good. :adds to list:

Thank you!

[buboniclou]

P.S. Good luck! Peace Corps is a wonderful thing, I wanted to do it myself but for medical reasons :(

[lamaupin]

Thank you!

Sorry to hear that :(

Have you applied to Americorps?

[vonjunzt]

Not an ethnography, but if you do go to Jordan, I recommend getting a Blue Guide. Some amazing antiquities there, and the Blue Guides are the best I know without hauling around a library.

Jordan can be unpleasant for women travelling alone at times, though. I've been going back and forth from there doing archaeological work since '99, and while I've never heard of a foreigner getting raped, I've known a lot of them getting harassed and felt up by local men. :(

[lamaupin]

I'll definitely read that.

So you've done work there?

Do you have any advice for a female Jew with Peace Corps doing work in Protected Areas Management?

Will I be likely to have any problems regarding my love of music? I sing, I hum, and I love listening to music on my itty bitty sansa.

The job apparently involves long hikes and riding a bike, if that makes any difference.

Would I be best advised to wear a head covering and long sleeved shirt on the plane?

Should I stick to skirts or fairly baggy pants?

Is it a big deal if my neck shows?

I've done a (very tiny) bit of travel in Muslim countries before, and I've never had a problem with my version of "modest," but I really don't want to offend anyone when I'm straight off the plane.

[vonjunzt]

I've never run across the Peace Corps in Jordan, so I'm not sure what exactly you have in store for you. (I also don't know what Protected Areas Management is

[lamaupin]

Excellent.

Thank you so much! You've been an enormous help.

I've got a couple of scarves I've used to cover my head in the past, but I tend to use them in such a way that my hair is thoroughly covered but my neck is not. I'll be sure to pack them just in case. And I certainly do have a wide brimmed straw hat I've brought on survey.

Music- Yay! One of the great things about my sansa, is that it runs on lithium batteries.

Larry Foley- meh. I accept that there's risk in simply being an American. There's nothing I can do to hide my American accent. But, if I think I might encounter a problem for being Jewish, I can use my grandmother's maiden name, for one thing.

[risetovotesir]

I really loved Culture and Identity in the Middle East by Gary Gregg. He interviews two women in that book, I believe. I hope you enjoy your time in the Peace Corps.

[risetovotesir]

I forgot to say that the book centers on young people in Morocco.

[lamaupin]

Oooo! Thanks!

[naandika_kuota]

Check out the work of Abu-Lughod. Of course all the specifics escape me right now but I think she did a bunch of ethnographic field work in Egypt... Either way, I remember liking some of her work.

[lamaupin]

Will do. Thanks.

[blotts]

I was about to recommend Veiled Sentiments by her; it's about Bedouin women in Northern Egypt and really well written

[lamaupin]

I check that out too.

Thanks.