Esther and the politics of negotiation : public and private spaces and the figure of the female royal counselor / Rebecca S. Hancock.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hancock, Rebecca S.

Series:

Emerging scholars

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Esther--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Esther, Queen of Persia.

Esther.

Bible. Esther.

Women in the Bible.

Women--Iran--History.

Women.

Iran.

History.

Physical Description:

v, 159 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis : Fortress Press, [2013]

Summary:

Was Esther unique-an anomaly in patriarchal society? Conventionally, scholars see ancient Israelite and Jewish women as excluded from the public world, their power concentrated instead in the domestic realm and exercised through familial structures. Rebecca S. Hancock demonstrates, in contrast, that because of the patrimonial character of ancient Jewish society, the state was often organized along familial lines. The presence of women in roles of queen consort or queen is therefore a key political and not simply domestic feature. Attention to the narrative of Esther and comparison with Hellenistic and Persian historiography depicting "wise women" acting in royal contexts reveals that Esther is in fact representative of a wider tradition. Women could participate in political life structured along familial and kinship lines. Further, Hancock's demonstration casts doubt on the bifurcation of public (male-dominated) and private (female-dominated) space. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Introduction to the problem: Esther in scholarship

Theoretical problems with the language of public and private

Narrative representatives of space, gender, and women's roles in Esther

Esther and representations of Persian royal women

Esther the politician: traditions of counseling women

Conclusion.

Notes:

Revision of author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-151) and indexes.

ISBN:

9781451465624

1451465629

OCLC:

837147340