Quincy Kelly Annotated Bibliography
Moaddel, Mansoor. "The Saudi Public Speaks: Religion, Gender, and Politics." International
Journal of Middle East Studies 1st ser. 38 (2006): n. pg. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
In his article, Mansoor Moaddel discusses Saudi Arabian citizen’s key issues as the form
of government, religion, religious tolerance, gender relations, marriage, and Western culture,
using survey that was carried out in Saudi Arabia in 2003. While also using survey results of
Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and the United States. Mansoor Moaddel wanted to find the similarities and
differences in value orientations between Saudi citizens and the public of these countries. While
also addressing Saudi Arabian views of woman and democracy as well. He uses all of these
factors to explain the significance of religion to the Saudi Arabian culture, and how Islam effects
Saudi Arabian citizen’s values and beliefs in Arab countries as well as the United States.
Moaddel’s article was very informative, as well as insightful. In The Saudi Public
Speaks: Religion, Gender, and Politics, The author talks about how all the regions of Saudi
Arabia came together to shape The Kingdom, or the government. Saudi Arabian government is
built and ran by military and religious alliances. These basis, along with the author’s research,
and surveys, show about 99 percent of Saudi Arabians are Muslims. This also explains why
Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world. Islam is not only a religion,
but it is the law and government to the citizens. This piece is important to my research, because it
targets and explain some of the key factors of my topic. Using statistics, research, and surveys,
the article explains the reasons behind Saudi Arabians values and beliefs. This article magnifies
the social, religious, and cultural differences in Saudi Arabia compared to other Arab countries
and America. Along with the inequalities women have compared to men in Saudi Arabia, due to
a conservative Islamic religion and government. I believe this article was very informative and
helpful, the authors statistics, charts, and research all tied in to the main points of the article. He
used different countries, from the most conservative Saudi Arabia, to the most liberal in the
United States to do his studies and surveys. This article answered a lot of questions I had about
the culture and religion of Saudi Arabia. I realized that Islam is life, and the religion is the center
piece of every value and belief of the citizens. Saudi Arabians don’t think the way they run their
country, treat woman, have social inequality, gender segregation, and constrict there citizens is
wrong because there laws come from God or “Allah”. Islam and its practices is there reasoning
or excuse for their values and beliefs.
Kucinskas, Jaime. "A Research Note on Islam and Gender Egalitarianism: An Examination of
Egyptian and Saudi Arabian Youth Attitudes." Journal for the Scientific Study of
Religion 49.4 (2010): 761-70. Web. 20 Mar. 14.
Jaime Kucinskas, uses quantitative research to find out religiosity and gender equality
among youth in the Middle East. Along with trying to find future trends amongst the Islamic
youth that may potentially help women’s social, political, and economic advancement. The
author also examines the ways religion effects gender roles, and equalitarianism in Saudi Arabia.
Through his research, he is able to conclude that, Islamic countries will become more liberal and
open, because of the youth being the majority. Along with conservative approaches and ways of
thinking are becoming a thing of the past. Therefore, women will have social, political, and
economic advancements, along with a more liberal culture and government.
Kucinskas article was very informative and helpful for my research. I was able to find
key points in this article that coincides with some points I made in my ethnography, as well as to
support my argument. One of the key strengths of this article, is the author’s belief of western
culture effecting conservative Islamic countries. Kucinskas thinks western cultures will add more
liberal and open ways of thinking and viewing things. Many eastern countries had their own
laws, beliefs, and cultures already. Until they became westernized. The author believes that over
time, as the world changes and become more open and liberal, so will these Islamic countries. I
agree with these statements because the Islamic youth is becoming the majority. Even in
America the social and cultural norms are changing. Conservative thoughts and beliefs are
slowly but surely leaving America. Gay rights, immigration, interracial dating, and amongst
other things are becoming the social norm. This will also help my research, because many of the
Islamic students here in American are becoming westernized. Through liberal campuses,
exposure to different ethnicities, races, cultures, religions, and even the opposite sex. Many of
these students will return back to their Islamic countries with a different thought process, and
ways they view things. Those students in return become the future of these Islamic culture, only
to be westernized.
Also in Kucinskas article, he examines different areas and backgrounds of the Islamic
youth, and how they affect the outlooks and beliefs these youth have. Using these factors he
formulates what he thinks are the reasons behind liberal and conservative clashes becoming more
apparent. Kucinskas claims that if an Islamic child grows up in a conservative family, the child
will be more conservative. He also believes if a child lives in more rural areas in an Islamic
country, they will be more conservative and close minded. Through his research he is able to
find that most conservative Muslims live in very rural areas in their countries. But, through
economic growth and urbanization, these rural Muslims are becoming the minority. I agree with
the author, if most children are growing up in more urban areas of the country, they will be
exposed to a lot more people, ideas, and beliefs. Therefore, these Islamic countries start to have a
more urbanized and open youth, making them the majority of the country. This article will help
me because, Saudi Arabian students at UNCC are urbanized. Therefore the Saudi students at
UNCC are becoming the new generation. I make the point in my ethnography, that Saudi
students at UNCC values and beliefs are changing due to a liberal culture and environment.
Overall, I believe this article was very helpful towards my ethnography. This article
backs many of my points that I make. As far as the urbanization of Islamic youth in the Middle
East, and how that is effecting a new generation .But, I feel as though the author could have done
more to explain youth 18 through 25. The author targeted youth through 25, but I feel as if he
didn’t touch bases with the young adults of these Islamic countries. Never did he mention how
some of the young adult attitudes, beliefs, and thinking may have differed or changed while
leaving home or going to college. By doing so, the author could have helped the reader see how
these young adults attitudes are effecting the way they feel politically and socially since
experiences life on their own. This could have been very beneficial to one of his key points of
the Liberal cultural movement, and how the young adults involvement is help pushing the
movement. Along with western cultural and the effects of that changing Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Saleh, Mahmoud Abdullah. "Development of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia." Higher
Education 15.1-2 (1986): 17-23. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
In his article, Saleh discusses the historical roots of Saudi Arabian education, and how it
has changed and evolved through time. The author talks about how education in Saudi Arabia
went from just Islamic philosophy, to a more westernized approach in there curriculums. Along
with many higher education or universities being built and the increase in the amount of
collegian students. Saleh stresses the growth in the educational system in Saudi Arabia, and how
foreign students, females, and even Saudi students studying abroad has expanded and has had a
positive effect on the country.
I found Saleh’s article very useful. I was very unaware of the history of education in
Saudi Arabia. I never thought that an educational system in a country would only teach a
religion. This leaves me with thought of how would a student learn things such as math and
science. Even the writing and reading was only about Islam. This article shows me how closed
minded Saudi Arabia was to the outside world, only 40 to 50 years ago. This particular section of
the article will help me with explaining how far behind Saudi Arabia was with the world, less
than half a century ago. And just how different a society this country is compared to America.
Another key point I take with from this article is the perspective of the older generations view on
education. The author explains that older generation Muslims believe education is to teach the
student values, ideals, and beliefs of Islam. Along with to develop socially, culturally, and
economically. This will help me with my ethnography because it coincides with my research. In
my ethnography, I make the point that Saudi Students have more stress on them due to the fact
they have to live up to the expectations of what there elder family members set for them when
they go to school. Not only should they get an education, but also live the Muslim way of life.
The biggest negative I take away from this article is, the author not elaborating on the
effects of women entering the Saudi Arabian Universities. Woman are already not treated
equally as men in this country. Elaboration on this topic would have magnified the significance
of the country not only growing in the educational realm, but in the social realm as well. The
author never specified exactly how woman integrated into the universities, and how men felt at
the time about it. This would of made things a lot more clearly to not only me, but to other
readers as well on how much growth Saudi Arabia made in just a short amount of time.
Rawaf, Al Saad Haya, and Cyril Simmons. "The Education of Women in Saudi Arabia."
Comparative Education 27.3 (1991): 287-95. Web. 25 Mar. 14.
In this article, the author’s talk about the history of women’s education in Saudi Arabia.
Education was set up for women to help them learn about the Quran, home economics,
embroidery, and even nursery classes to help them be better mothers and wives. Through the
years, education for woman changed from lower level education, to eventually college education.
Rawaf and Simmons explain through research how women role in society has changed from
being at home wives, to now actually having a college degree and paying jobs.
Overall, this article was very informative in telling me not only the history of education
for women in Saudi Arabia, but how it affected the society as well. I feel as though the expansion
of girl’s education didn’t necessarily change traditional attitudes and ideology’s about women in
Saudi Arabia. I do believe it helped women get a leveled playing field in education. By having
education, this helped Saudi woman have more authority in society. This was definetly a social
and a cultural growth for women. This article is a key help in my ethnography, because it shows
the social and cultural change of woman over time. Not only in just education, but in jobs,
gender role, and economics. Education for Saudi women has evolved overtime. Woman are not
just being stay at home wives now. They are social workers, educators, and more. The social
norm and conservative approach is changing vastly in Saudi Arabia. The authors thoughts and
views align with my research as well. In my ethnography, I found the social norms for Saudi
women have evolved also. Saudi woman want to study abroad, obtain college degrees, and
become more than just a mother or wife. Well educated Saudi men want to marry educated Saudi
women. Therefore, this creates a new generation of Saudi’s who believe in the education of male
and female. This information is going to further my influence on my ethnography, because it
magnifies how Saudi Arabian culture is changing, and how education is effecting the social roles
in the Saudi culture. Education is evening the playing field, and the well-educated Saudi men
don’t want a stay at home wife anymore. This coincides with my research, and how UNCC is
initiating open interaction and relationships between Saudi’s, along with Saudi students being
more liberal and open minded.
While reading this article, I wished the author’s would have elaborated more on Saudi
men marrying outside their race because of women not being educated. It would have been a
better statement if the author’s would have explained, why in the 60’s and 70’s Saudi men now
want educated women. For centuries Saudi men only wanted women to be house wives. Now
they want an educated woman. I want to know if westernized culture had an effect of Saudi men
wanting educated women. During the 60 and 70’s, in western culture woman started to have jobs
and go to college. My main question I am left with is, Did Saudi men use the excuse of wanting a
educated woman, to become more westernized? It all doesn’t make since to me. IF you are a
strict Islamic country, who deprive women of social, political, and educational equality, wouldn’t
you be afraid of woman gaining independence by way of education:? These are a few questions I
feel the authors could have talked about or even investigated themselves. This information will
help my research, through my interaction and coffee socials, I was able to get Saudi men point of
view of women and their social roles. Thus information also coincides with one of my points in
my ethnography. The point I made is, westernization and education changing the social norms in
Saudi Arabia. Some of the questions I had will never have clear concrete answer.
Metcalfe, Dawn Beverly. "Women, Management and Globalization in the Middle East." Journal
of Business Ethics 83.1 (2008): 85-100. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Through reading this article, Metcalfe gives insight on Middle Eastern women fight for
cultural, economic, and social advancement in the public realm. Even though woman are
growing in leadership and in political roles in the Middle East, cultural and traditional barriers
are still holding these woman back from having full equality in the public realm. The author
examines every aspect of gender segregation in the Middle East, and how globalization is
opening doors for the advancement of women in these countries.
In this article, Metcalfe makes a lot of key points that will help me with my ethnography.
She focuses on the discrimination of woman in a society ran by men, and there actions are
justified by Islam. Not only does she magnifies the effect under-representation woman have in
public, she talks about the ethical value system in these Middle Eastern countries that suppress
woman on all fronts. This article will help me, because she gives a scholarly voice to one of my
points I make in my ethnography. Along with supporting some of the key points the people I
interviewed in my ethnography. Hossny explains to me that women are not equal as men in any
setting what so ever. Along with the interview I had at the coffee social with the Saudi girls. And
how they said they didn’t feel as if they had a voice. In my opinion, Metcalfe does a great job of
breaking down the effects of under-representation has on women in Middle Eastern Countries. I
also like how the author uses the increase of women’s education in direct correlation with the
growth of woman in the workforce. Along with globalization helping these Middle Eastern
countries with more job opportunities, it has allowed woman to step in and play a bigger role in
economy as well. To me, all of these factors have gave women even more growth in these
Middle Eastern countries.
One thing I would have liked the author to talk about, is the effect woman with high
paying jobs and a college education have on these woman rights organizations and movements.
Since these woman do have better leverage socially and economically than traditional woman,
how do they impact these women’s rights organizations, and what involvement do they have
with it. I think if the author would have went this route, we could have a better illustration on
how some of these woman, who are part of the work force and globalized company’s, impact the
women’s advancement as a whole in the Middle East. Or do they have an impact at all.
.