Introduction
Hale begins her article “Sudanese Women in National Service, Militias, and the Home” with presenting the context for her argument. The author states that she is interested in studying economic changes in Sudan and the development of Sudanese people as “modern Muslims” in the context of the impact of processes in the 1980s (Hale 195). The changes in the political situation in the country influenced the vision of Sudanese citizens as Muslims who are ready for protecting their position.
Consequently, the roles of women also changed, and they began to perform male roles because of the altered gender division of labor, for example, to serve in the militia along with following their conventional roles. Thus, after the military coup, women in Sudan began to play special roles in forming the Islamic state while supporting the economy of the country.
Summary
As an object of summarizing, the article “Sudanese Women in National Service, Militias, and the Home” by Hale will be analyzed. Islamist politics and gender issues are the key topics of this work. The end of the 20th century is viewed as a difficult time for northern Sudan. Hale argues that radical political sentiment complicated by a difficult economic situation in the form of pressure from other countries led to the involvement of women in those activities that were unusual for them (195).
Such an approach is atypical for a Muslim country where the responsibilities of both genders are clearly regulated. However, the author notes that the goal of the government that came to power in 1989 was to reorganize the standard system of life in the country (Hale 196). The members of the government introduced a special term – “new Muslim woman,” which meant changes in the usual way of life and was associated with the renewed course of the state development (Hale 196). It was the beginning of the stage of social reorganization and gender policy.
The consistent development of events leading up to a new political course is described in detail. At the end of the 20th century, the Islamist government conducted a series of complex and controversial reforms based on Sharia laws and even extended to non-Muslims (Hale 198). As a result, significant changes occurred in various spheres of life, including the military sector, public services, and other areas.
The author cites the example of Greater Khartoum, the urban territory of the country where the most educated and trained people live, and argues that this city is in decline due to new orders (Hale 201). Due to a political regime that limits many freedoms for Muslims, local residents are not able to realize their potential comprehensively, which forces many qualified employees to apply for ordinary jobs that do not require special training. This situation is depressing, but regarding the impact on women, the most noticeable implications are manifested in this context.
The new provisions of the labor code for women were the result of reforms promoted by the Islamist government. According to Hale, complexities in the economics and the unemployment resulting from them led to the fact that employees were selected for different positions regardless of gender, and jobs in different sectors were offered (205). For instance, the military industry that is supported in northern Sudan began to involve women to participate actively in the development of armed capabilities. Such an approach, as Hale remarks, is the outcome of a radical policy where external influences led to the forced change of the established religious laws (206). As a result, global changes followed, and their assessment is controversial in terms of the traditions of this region.
Conclusion
The author concludes her article with stating that young people had to participate in the military activities in Sudan when women were expected to perform both domestic and social roles as militia members. These women viewed themselves as emancipated, and they did not regard their performing domestic and military roles as the contradiction. Hale also states that the development of the image of an ideal Muslim woman in Sudan is a direct result of social, political, and economic changes in the country (211).
From this perspective, it is possible to state that a kind of women’s emancipation in Sudan is the outcome of the New Sudanese Movement and observed social and economic modernization that was supported by women. Thus, women in Sudan have significantly contributed to the political economy of the country.
In general, the author is confident that women received much attention, and the reconstruction of gender ideology has become the direct evidence of radical measures taken by the Islamist government (Hale 209). The example of northern Sudan proves that in the conditions of an economic crisis and uneasy relations with other states, traditional norms and foundations can be destroyed. As a conclusion, Hale notes that the modernization of the social sector is directly related to militaristic ideas (211). Therefore, the assessment of all the changes is ambiguous, and no significant arguments in support of this ideology are given.
Work Cited
Hale, Sondra. “Sudanese Women in National Service, Militias, and the Home.” Women Globalization in the Arab Middle East: Gender, Economy, and Society, edited by Eleanor Abdella Doumato and Marsha Pripstein Posusney, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003, pp. 195-214.