RT Article
T1 The Use of Social Isolation (inqiṭāʿ) by Jewish Women in Medieval Egypt
JF Journal of the economic and social history of the Orient
VO 63
IS 5/6
SP 820
OP 852
A1 Zinger, Oded
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2020
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1817459066
AB Abstract Petitions from the Cairo Geniza often emphasize that the petitioner is lonely or “cut off” (munqaṭiʿ) from social support. Such claims are gendered, as they are more common in women’s petitions than in men’s, and women occasionally use explicitly gendered expressions to highlight their social isolation. Claiming to lack social support had a special valency in medieval Islamicate societies due to the primacy of reciprocal social relationships in these societies. Since women’s access to cultural and social capital was more limited than men’s, women lacking effective and supportive male kin were particularly vulnerable and were recognized as deserving justice. Studying claims of social isolation thus sheds light on the social predicament of Jewish women in medieval Egypt. Finally, recognizing the currency of social isolation in women’s petition helps identify an opposite trend of social belonging in men’s petitions.
K1 Social Capital
K1 Cairo Geniza
K1 medieval Egypt
K1 Social Isolation
K1 Jewish women
K1 Petitions
DO 10.1163/15685209-12341522