Jewish Ethics and Women's Work in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Arab-Islamic World

In this article, Moses Maimonides’ interpretation of Jewish law on women and work – as reflected in his Mishneh Torah – is contrasted with the daily lives of Jewish working women as portrayed in the documents of the Cairo Geniza. Later rabbinic writings and European travel accounts are analysed to s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International review of social history 2011-12, Vol.56 (S19), p.141-164
Main Author: Hofmeester, Karin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
16th century
Arab people
Cairo, Egypt
Earnings
Employment policies
Ethics
Europe
Family income
Females
Husbands
Islam
Islamic Law
Jewish culture
Jewish law
Jewish life & ethics
Jewish people
Jews
Law
Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) (1135-1204)
Men
Middle Ages
Muslims
Ottoman Empire
Philosophy
Religious doctrines
Religious practice
Religious texts
Social history
Social problems
Textile industry
Torah
Translation
Wives
Women
Women's employment
Working Women
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Summary:In this article, Moses Maimonides’ interpretation of Jewish law on women and work – as reflected in his Mishneh Torah – is contrasted with the daily lives of Jewish working women as portrayed in the documents of the Cairo Geniza. Later rabbinic writings and European travel accounts are analysed to show how Jewish ethics of women and work were translated into social practice in the late medieval and early modern Arab-Islamic world, where Islamic law and the existence of separate worlds for men and women rather than the contrast between public and private spheres seem to have informed general ideas about women and work.
ISSN:0020-8590
1469-512X
DOI:10.1017/S0020859011000423