-- Journal of Islamic Studies

Doumato...has commendably brought together historical sources of true significance for the history of Arabia, and specifically for women's medical practices and spiritual rituals...[T]his book provides rich substantive information that significantly advances understanding of social life in the Arabian peninsula for the time period under review. -- Middle East Journal By exploring the gendered dimensions of Wahhabi discourses and practices during the revival, Doumato brings the question of gender into an historical space and time rarely explored. -- Arab Studies Journal A valuable contribution to understanding the religious experiences of Muslim women in the Arabian peninsula and the Gulf. -- Religious Studies Review

Eleanor Abdella Doumato is adjunct professor of international relations at the Watson Institute of Brown University. She is a past president of the Association for Middle East Women's Studies and the editor of the Middle East Women's Studies Review.

1. Women and Religious Learning: Piety and a Matter of Propriety 2. Prayer, the Mosque, and the Ways Women Worship 3. The Healing Power of Words: Ink, Spit, and Holy Speech 4. Engaging Spirits: Prophylaxis, Witchcraft, Exorcisms, Trial by Ordeal, and Zar 5. When Words Fail: Surgeries, Smells, and Salt Packing, Community, Gender, and the Spiritual Experience: Some Conclusions