"The book deals with some important aspects of sexuality and
religion. Its scholarship is impeccable; Shaun Marmon has made an
exhaustive study of Arabic sources, including many unpublished
manuscripts and has used European sources in a wide variety of
languages. She has interpreted these documents with the keenest
historical imagination and reconstructed most vividly the events
and institutions of that period. To my knowledge, this is the first
and only
systematic study on this particular subject"--Charles Issawi,
Princeton University
"...An elegant and concise study...This is a book that students of
Muslim institutions will find extremely valuable. For scholars of
the more general topic of gender in history, it provides a
beautifully documented case study..."--Journal of the History of
Sexuality
"[T]he author is clearly exploring new grounds in Islamic
studies...the author is to be commended for a thoroughly original
and imaginative volume."--The Historian
"Rarely does a book combine elegance of style, depth of analysis,
and an interesting topic as well as Marmon's study of
eunuchs...will prove useful for graduate and advanced undergraduate
students studying slavery, gender, medieval society, and Islamic
family law."--Religious Studies Review
"[A] fascinationg and path-breaking work."--amluk Studies
Review
"Marmon provides a richly textured account of the ways in which the
eunuchs functioned as ideal mediators between the sacred charisma
(baraka) associated with the Prophet's physical remains and
generations of pilgrims to his tomb...[T]his book is a vital
contribution to our understanding of these intriguing agents of
mediation in medieval Muslim society."--American Historical Review
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