TY - JOUR
T1 - Wandering about as she pleases
T2 - Prostitutes, adolescent girls, and female slaves in cairo's public space, 1850-1882
AU - Kozma, Liat
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - Abstract This paper examines how women who "wandered about" public spaces were perceived in police and court records of Khedival Egypt, in the period from 1850-1882. In the context of growing cities, rural immigration and manumission of slaves, the Egyptian authorities sought to monitor the urban streets and clear them of "undesirables." Such control measures, this paper argues, were dictated by gender. By examining cases involving runaway and manumitted slaves, adolescent girls and prostitutes, as well as official laws and regulations, this article shows how the mobility and visibility of women in public spaces was regulated and controlled. While male unregulated presence in the streets was deemed to be a security concern in very limited circumstances, the unsupervised presence of women outside of the fold of family or community connoted sexual misconduct. Where young girls went, whom prostitutes interacted with, what women chose to wear, and what black women were doing outdoors-all of these were becoming state concerns.
AB - Abstract This paper examines how women who "wandered about" public spaces were perceived in police and court records of Khedival Egypt, in the period from 1850-1882. In the context of growing cities, rural immigration and manumission of slaves, the Egyptian authorities sought to monitor the urban streets and clear them of "undesirables." Such control measures, this paper argues, were dictated by gender. By examining cases involving runaway and manumitted slaves, adolescent girls and prostitutes, as well as official laws and regulations, this article shows how the mobility and visibility of women in public spaces was regulated and controlled. While male unregulated presence in the streets was deemed to be a security concern in very limited circumstances, the unsupervised presence of women outside of the fold of family or community connoted sexual misconduct. Where young girls went, whom prostitutes interacted with, what women chose to wear, and what black women were doing outdoors-all of these were becoming state concerns.
KW - Egypt
KW - Women
KW - gender
KW - prostitution
KW - rape
KW - slavery
KW - virginity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84866309387&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/156920812X627722
DO - 10.1163/156920812X627722
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AN - SCOPUS:84866309387
SN - 1569-2078
VL - 10
SP - 18
EP - 36
JO - Hawwa
JF - Hawwa
IS - 1-2
ER -