Using gender and law in the political system of Jordan as a means of investigating broader issues surrounding the relationship between culture and political legitimacy, this volume offers an in-depth treatment of the laws that define, limit and expand women's rights. Arguing that gender issues aren't simply a 'special topic' in politics, but an indicator and symbol of the character of the political system as a whole, the significance of the politics of legitimacy as played out in issues of gender and law is not only about the content of policies and competition of interests, but about the power to determine the nature of the political system itself.

Catherine Warrick is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Villanova University, where she teaches Middle East politics.

Contents: Part I The Pursuit of Legitimacy in Jordan: Introduction; Theoretical and conceptual issues; Dual legal systems and the basis of law in Jordan. Part II Laws and Legal Changes: Criminal law; Nationality law; Women's access to divorce: religious law as a basis for improved rights; Protected spaces: the presence of women in the institutions of state power. Part III Developing Institutions: Maintaining Legacy: The women's movement; Government institutions and policy frameworks; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.