Saudi Women Speak

This title provides an authentic and eye-opening collection of interviews with 30 women from all walks of life in Saudi Arabia. At a time when the Kingdom appears to be on the cusp of change, this unique book captures the essence of what it is like to be a woman living in Saudi Arabia today.

'Queens of the Kingdom is an effective counterpoint to the popular depiction of Saudi women as oppressed victims. Its subjects have very different views on what life should look like in their country, but all voice a fierce pride in their agency and identity. The book fulfils the desire expressed at one point by filmmaker Amani, "to tell people that [Saudi women] are strong, that they're human.".' Times Literary Supplement 'This magnificent book gives the perspective of 30 women in the kingdom. From global activism to marrying strangers in exchange for an education, this is the reality many Saudi women face....Mingled in between the strict rules and closed families are women who are finding their voices and prepared to break barriers for the future.' Sunday Times (South Africa) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most mysterious and secretive societies in modern times and the lives of the women living there is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all. What do the women of Saudi Arabia really think about their lives? What are their hopes and dreams? To separate fact from fiction, Nicola Sutcliff spent four years living in the Kingdom, meeting and interviewing women of all ages and from all walks of life. Their stories are presented here and paint a portrait of a country that appears to be on the cusp of change. Meet Hafsa, a Bedouin who gave birth to eleven children in the open desert; Jamila, the first wife in a polygamous household; Aya, a medical student who married a stranger in order pursue her education. Meet these and many others and discover what they think about subjects as diverse as education, driving, the religious police, male guardianship, social media, women's rights, love, marriage, underground parties, under-the-abaya fashion and sexuality. Authentic, eye-opening, inspiring and courageous, this candid collection of essays captures the essence of what it is like to be a woman living in Saudi Arabia today.

Saudi women are the most powerful symbol of their rapidly-changing country. The Western political and academic debate has presented activists such as Loujain Al Hathloul and Samar Badawi as the heroic voice of all Saudi women. The Saudi government has focused, instead, on a nationalistic rhetoric that presents Saudi women as the willing, obedient, and heroic handmaids of the New Saudi Arabia who speak with the voice of the Enlightened Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Ironically, both approaches have silenced the people they are meant to empower, Saudi women. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Eyes of Saudi Women argues that Saudi women cannot be empowered by the imposition from above of Western-inspired reforms and that the future of Saudi Arabia is firmly grounded in its past. Anita Butera provides a unique account of Saudi women’s voices and their dreams for the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The author concludes that MbS, by allowing the entrance of women into public space independently from men, has allowed Saudi women to start a silent revolution that is changing the patriarchal system of Saudi Arabia and challenging the masculine nature of Saudi power.

A memoir by a Saudi Arabian woman who became the unexpected leader of a movement to support women's rights describes how fundamentalism influenced her radical religious beliefs until her education, a job, and legal contradictions changed her perspectives.

This book reveals the mysterious world of internet forums and their masked participants. It details those masked activists surfaced in the online world and how they become influential in the printed press. Their impact and their struggle for reform are traced through their old, hidden identities. The study dives deep into the world of social media in Saudi Arabia and connects it with official newspaper columns, investigating whether the Saudi woman has freedom of expression in the patriarchal society in which they live, as well as the extent and consequences of this expression. In 2004, Twitter was launched in Saudi Arabia, and it became the preferred social media platform of Saudis thanks to its limited characters. It allowed the discussion of courageous ideas and promoted reform and moderate attitudes. This book also shows the correlation between social media and the daring subjects published in newspapers.

The cities of Saudi Arabia are among the most gender segregated in the world. In recent years the Saudi government has felt increasing international pressure to offer greater roles for women in society. Implicit in these calls for reform, however, is an assumption that the only "real" society is male society. Little consideration has been given to the rapidly evolving activities within women's spaces. This book joins young urban women in their daily lives—in the workplace, on the female university campus, at the mall—to show how these women are transforming Saudi cities from within and creating their own urban, professional, consumerist lifestyles. As young Saudi women are emerging as an increasingly visible social group, they are shaping new social norms. Their shared urban spaces offer women the opportunity to shed certain constraints and imagine themselves in new roles. But to feel included in this peer group, women must adhere to new constraints: to be sophisticated, fashionable, feminine, and modern. The position of "other" women—poor, rural, or non-Saudi women—is increasingly marginalized. While young urban women may embody the image of a "reformed" Saudi nation, the reform project ultimately remains incomplete, drawing new hierarchies and lines of exclusion among women.

This study explores how contemporary Saudi women writers use their writings as a way to gain control over the rules of cultural discourse in their society. The author examines the work of nine influential women writers and presents excerpts of their writings which appear here for the first time in English.