Comments on: Dancing for Dowries:

By: Belly Dance and Feminism: | Belly Dance News & Events - Gilded Serpent

Belly Dance and Feminism: | Belly Dance News & Events - Gilded Serpent — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:41:12 +0000

[...] Dancing for Dowries: Earning Power, Ethnology, and Happily Ever After by Andrea Deagon, PhD. When a mythic history is told and retold in a context like the belly dance [...]

By: Naked Belly Dance in Ancient Egypt | Belly Dance News & Events - Gilded Serpent

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:52:22 +0000

[...] Dancing for Dowries: Earning Power, Ethnology, and Happily Ever After by Andrea Deagon, PhD. When a mythic history is told and retold in a context like the belly dance [...]

By: Dancing for Dowries, Part 2: | Belly Dance News & Events

Dancing for Dowries, Part 2: | Belly Dance News & Events — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:59:15 +0000

[...] by Andrea Deagon, Ph.D. graphics used with permission from Stief of the Bellydance Museum or from Wikimedia Commons posted August 16, 2009 part 1 available here [...]

By: Andrea Deagon

Andrea Deagon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:52:38 +0000

Hi Z — thank you for raising this point. You are right. The factors behind my cursory treatment of the issue:
While of course the borders of Islam far exceed the Arab world, in my understanding the issue of mahr is of more importance in the Arab world than outside it. Of course there is the historical influence of Arab custom in the development of shariah in the first place. And mahr is a more significant social force in some parts of the Arab world than in others – for example, I have recently read several newspaper accounts of young male Gulf Arabs facing economic pressures and delaying marriage because of the high marh demanded by the families of eligible women, and the resultant problem for these women of the eligible men then seeking brides from areas (Arab or otherwise) where a high marh was not as culturally central in marriage negotiations. So the interweaving of specific and overlapping cultures within the shared (and continually reinterpretable) religious law is always complex, and I thank you for bringing up an important point that I had let slide. I appreciate your insight.

By: Z

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:48:43 +0000

I enjoyed this piece very much.

If it’s not too much trouble however I would like to hear from the author about the choice to refer to mahr as an Arab custom rather than a tenet of Islamic jurisprudence. I recognize that when looking at cultural practices there is frequently leakage between groups living in the same geographic region, but I think the conflation of “Arab” with “Islam” is a confusing here.

By: Carl Captures Character | Belly Dance News & Events

Carl Captures Character | Belly Dance News & Events — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:07:32 +0000

[...] Dancing for Dowries: Earning Power, Ethnology, and Happily Ever After by Andrea Deagon, PhD. When a mythic history is told and retold in a context like the belly dance [...]

By: Zumarrad

Zumarrad — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:22:03 +0000

Lovely article, Andrea.

By: Anne Kemp "Anala"

Anne Kemp "Anala" — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:45:55 +0000

Thank you for hearing my concerns, Lynette! I am one of the many who struggle to keep the “right” attention to our art; so, I get a bit defensive when I see images associated with it that may cast a negative light. I do appreciate that you responded so quickly!

By: admin

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:22:28 +0000

I'll go censor it and those who have read all the way down to the comments and are curious (should have already read the article) can see the original silly pic here- http://www.gildedserpent.com/art48/graphics48/freud.jpg.

By: Lynette Harris

Lynette Harris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:17:34 +0000

I’m so sorry. My kids thought it was hilarious. Though I did wonder if it might be over the line. The original dog picture was very funny. But maybe you don’t have a dog that thinks everthing is a toy. I thought maybe it was ambigious enough that some would just think it was a dog toy or just wonder. More importantly, I don’t want it to distract from the wonderful content of Andrea’s article. I had hoped it would bait more readers into reading the content. But I am sure it doesn’t need it. I guess my humor can be a bit dark from too many years working in emergency rooms. Does it bother anyone else? Shall I take it down?