Work, Social Status, and Gender in Post-Slavery Mauritania, livre ebook

Although slavery was legally abolished in 1981 in Mauritania, its legacy lives on in the political, economic, and social discrimination against ex-slaves and their descendants. Katherine Ann Wiley examines the shifting roles of Muslim arāīn (ex-slaves and their descendants) women, who provide financial support for their families. Wiley uses economic activity as a lens to examine what makes suitable work for women, their trade practices, and how they understand and assert their social positions, social worth, and personal value in their everyday lives. She finds that while genealogy and social hierarchy contributed to status in the past, women today believe that attributes such as wealth, respect, and distance from slavery help to establish social capital. Wiley shows how the legacy of slavery continues to constrain some women even while many of them draw on neoliberal values to connect through kinship, friendship, and professional associations. This powerful ethnography challenges stereotypical views of Muslim women and demonstrates how they work together to navigate social inequality and bring about social change.

Acknowledgements
Note on Transliteration and Language
Introduction: I Will Make You My Servant: Social Status, Gender, and Work
1. From Black to Green: Changing Political Economy and Social Status in Kankossa
2. "We Work for Our Lives": Revaluing Femininity and Work in a Post-slavery Market
3. Joking Market Women: Critiquing and Negotiating Gender Roles and Social Hierarchy
4. Women's Market Strategies: Building Social Networks, Protecting Resources, and Managing Credit
5. Making People Bigger: Wedding Exchange and the Creation of Social Value
6. Embodying and Performing Gender and Social Status through the Malafa (Mauritanian veil)
Conclusion: Social Rank in the Neoliberal Era
Glossary
Bibliography
Index