Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1: 1991: A Turning Point in Kuwaiti Politics Chapter 2: Going Back to Move Forward: Internal Debate over the Consequences of the 1990 Crisis Chapter 3: Indirect Change: The Status of Women in the Non-Political Arena Chapter 4: The Debate within the Ruling Family Chapter 5: Women in Politics: The National and International Debate Chapter 6: Sponsors and Factions of the Kuwaiti Women’s Rights Movement Chapter 7: The Future: Challenges, Expectations and Opportunities Chapter 8: The Long Road to Success: Women in Kuwaiti Politics, 1991-2009 Conclusion

Promotional Information

The role of women in politics in the Gulf is a much-debated and often little-understood subject in the West. In this book the author sheds new light on the struggle of Kuwaiti women for political participation, examining both the positions women hold in society and politics, and the discourses surrounding feminism and civil rights.

About the Author

Meshal Al-Sabah is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies, King's College London. Educated at The University of Chicago and Harvard University, he holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from King's College London.

Reviews

'The role of women in society is one of the priority issues of the United Nations Millennium Project, thus highlighting the issue's importance on a global level. But the matter is of particular importance in terms of the modernization attempts of the Gulf Cooperation Council States in the wake of the Arab Spring. Meshal Al-Sabah shows very well how the Gulf crisis of 1990-91, following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, was a catalyst in the country's approach to the issue of women in politics. Dealing with the hugely important and topical issue of the role of women in society and politics, this is a comprehensive and reader-friendly work. I believe that it will make a significant contribution to the scholarship on Kuwait, the Gulf and the role of women in politics as well as wider Arab society.' Professor Rory Miller, Director of the Middle East and Mediterranean Studies Programme, King's College London