Abstract

The gender ideology promoted within Saudi political culture constructs a model of the ‘ideal Muslim woman’. This ideal woman is a wife and a mother whose place is in the private sphere, and men are her guardians. Women who remain in their homes, raising the next generation and preserving the traditional values, constitute the quintessential emblem of the unique Saudi national identity. Based on a critical analysis of some 30 Saudi novels written between 1980 and 2000, this study focuses on the changes in the model of the ideal Muslim woman, alongside changes in Saudi attitudes toward women's education and employment. I argue that whereas the regime cultivated the traditional perception of the ideal woman and conservative attitudes toward women's education and employment, the novels presented and constructed hybrid perceptions of these issues, and gradually developed a sharply critical perspective on them.

摘要

沙特政治文化中提倡的性别意识形态构建了“理想穆斯林女性”的模型。这个理想的女人是妻子和母亲，她的位置是在私人领域，而男人是她的监护人。留在家里养育下一代并维护传统价值观的妇女构成了独特的沙特民族身份的典型象征。本研究基于对 1980 年至 2000 年间创作的约 30 部沙特小说的批判性分析，重点关注理想穆斯林女性模式的变化，以及沙特对女性教育和就业态度的变化。我认为，尽管该政权培养了对理想女性的传统观念以及对妇女教育和就业的保守态度，