Arab women's literary history. Critical response ; The Gulf War story ; Gendering the Gulf War story ; The Iraqi version ; Migrating stories ; Conclusion -- In search of mother tongues. Assia Djebar's prisonhouse ; Albert Memmi's struggles with his mother ; Abdelkebir Khatibi's bi-langue ; Jacques Derrida : "Le petit juif français d'Algérie" ; Conclusion -- Reviewing beginnings. Islamic feminism ; Assia Djebar ; Fatima Mernissi ; Nawal El Saadawi ; Conclusion -- A Muslim sister. Zaynab al-Ghazali's Muslim Ladies' Association ; Survival in hell ; Signs taken for wonders ; An Islamic feminist mission ; Conclusion -- Multiple critique. Critical networking ; Imageness ; The weight of the veil ; Conclusion -- Changing the subject. Academic politics.