71221- Cover, page 2 @ Preflight


The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 28:1144

Nefissa Naguib, Women, Water and Memory: 
Recasting Lives in Palestine

Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2009. pbk. 176 pages

Nefissa Naguib’s book is the third in Brill’s Women and Gender series. It is 
an interdisciplinary study comprising an anthropological discussion, social 
gender theories, and a geographical discussion. The book is primarily based 
on anthropological research and presents the stories of eight women from 
the Palestinian village of Musharafah—and by means of which, it creates 
a discourse that examines the changes that have taken place in the status of 
women in Palestinian society, and their functioning following the political 
and economic changes in Palestinian society in general, and in Musharafah 
in particular. Water is the connecting thread between the stories of the eight 
women and the analysis of their social functioning in the village.

The extensive preface to the book is part of a long theoretical introduc-
tion, in which the author explains that “It is a story about how water is an 
endlessly evolving enactment of gender, family and community relation-
ships” (1). She reviews the aims of the book in general, provides a general 
description of the village and its women, and discusses terms—such as 
“society of women”—which she will use extensively in the book. The sec-
ond part of the theoretical introduction, entitled “The Women and Their 
Stories,” describes the way of life that is a backdrop for the women’s sto-
ries, and the importance of water as a component in each story.

The book is comprised of two parts. Part 1, “About Musharafah,” in-
cludes the first two chapters, which also constitute a theoretical review, 
and serve as the basis for the anthropological study and analysis in Part 2.  
In Chapter 1, “Musharafah,” the author describes different aspects of the 
village. She explains the origin of its name, describes how the buildings 
are mapped out, and provides a historical and geographical survey of the 
village. The descriptions are accompanied by figures to illustrate the data 
(43 and 45).

Chapter 2: “Palestine—A Contested Site,” discusses important mile-
stones in the development of the Palestinian society and the difficulties 
with which it is forced to contend. The author draws on the studies of 
Rashid Khalidi and Rosemary Sayigh, among others. This chapter, too, 
constitutes the theoretical foundation for the second part of the book. 

Part 2: “Life Worlds,” is comprised of four chapters in which water and 
its connection with the women’s personal stories is extensively discussed. 
Chapter 3, “Women, Water and Memory” presents the detailed stories of 



145Book Reviews

eight women from Musharafah. Each story includes an interview with the 
woman, and in some cases, a photograph of her as well. It is noteworthy 
that with the exception of the Introduction, this is the book’s longest chap-
ter (70–104).

Chapter 4, “Being in the World,” presents an analysis of the women’s 
stories and the feminine space revealed in them. The author begins this 
chapter with an explanation that “Fetching water provided women with a 
legitimate arena of activity outside the home” (105). This provides the ba-
sis for the gender discussion and analysis later in the chapter. The women’s 
functioning in the domestic space emerges from the stories as they fulfill 
a range of feminine roles—their roles as daughters, wives, mothers, and 
grandmothers. Going out to fetch water allowed women to go out into the 
public space and even play an active role in it. By means of the women’s 
stories, the author delves into the world of women in Musharafah, and 
readers can learn about the life of the women in the village. In this chapter, 
the author expands the discussion on the institution of marriage, family, 
and its social structure, and the delicate relationship between the village 
women against the backdrop of cultural changes and modernization. At 
the end of the chapter, the author describes the implications of the intifada 
for the society of women, and how they cope with death. It is important 
to note that in this chapter the author devotes an extensive discussion to 
the women’s perception of Islam, under the title “To Know God,,” and 
explains how the Five Pillars in Islam (al-arkan al-khamsa) are manifested 
in the stories and way of life of the women in Musharafah.

In Chapter 5, “Women and Places Outside,” “the attention shifts from 
the social construction of  women to what stories tell us more specifically 
about water” (125). This chapter connects the book’s various circles—
gender, society, nationality, and water with its attendant social and cultural 
importance. The author describes how women experience changes in the 
water infrastructure that in turn led to other economic changes. Women, 
especially those of the older generation, feel that it would have been better 
to continue fetching water since they cannot afford the financial burden 
of paying for it. Naguib explains that there are social gender reasons as 
well: “Fetching water involved more than just daily work; it involved ‘be-
ing with the world’. . . . Furthermore, fetching water involved negotiation 
between women about how to cope with daily life in the village” (126–27). 
The final chapter, Chapter 6, “Telling Stories,” emphasizes the importance 
of stories in shaping memory and discusses how anthropological and his-
torical research meet. The author further enriches the discussion in this 
chapter with research literature.



The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 28:1146

In the conclusion of the book, the author addresses the question of 
how to write about other women, and discusses the importance of under-
standing the cultural background in order to comprehend the social codes 
presented in the book. By means of her extensive theoretical review as an 
introduction to the practical part of her book, Naguib unquestionably helps 
readers gain a better understanding of the society and culture she addresses 
in it. It is rich with concepts drawn from Muslim terminology that are in-
terspersed in Arabic with English transliteration throughout the book, and 
also includes a glossary of terms (vii) and an index (169–173). Thus, the 
book will appeal to researchers of culture, the Middle East, and gender—
as well as to laypeople who wish to learn about what goes on deep within 
the society of women in the Palestinian village of Musharafah. The author 
provides a peek into these personal lives that constitute a microcosm of the 
Palestinian society of women. 

This book greatly contributes to the inquiry into the world of women 
in the Middle East, and to the construction of a women’s discourse, which 
shapes collective Palestinian memory founded on women’s narratives that 
tell the story of those whose voices have not yet been heard. Through the 
women’s attitude to water, we learn about the life of women and codes of 
social behavior. We can also learn about the role Palestinian women play in 
the national struggle. The book contributes to the advancement of research 
on Palestinian women, and in this, Naguib achieves what she aspires to 
in her introduction: “That women’s daily struggles in war zones should 
receive more academic coverage” (33). 

Dr. Sharon Sasson, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
email: sharonsason1@walla.com