Overview

Offers a detailed analysis of more than sixty Omani folktales and unique insights into the lives of Omani women through the oral tales they narrate. Systematically documenting and analyzing women’s folktales in the Sultanate of Oman, this research study analyzes old and contemporary Omani popular beliefs and folktales. Ahmed Al-Rawi offers an understanding of the oral tradition in Oman and the Arab Gulf in general by investigating the available books and articles on Omani folklore. He also provides readers and researchers with an analysis of previously published Omani folktales by referring to their motifs, tale-types, and occurrences. Omani women play a greater role than men in transmitting cultural norms and folktales from one generation to another. More than sixty folktales narrated by Omani women are included, with a detailed analysis of each tale. These tales were collected from the seven different parts of Oman, especially from elderly women. Oman’s Folklore, Popular Beliefs, and Women’s Oral Storytelling offers a cultural analysis of Omani folktales and popular beliefs based on an investigation of almost all the available literature inside and outside Oman as well as on forty interviews with Omani women.

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Reviews

Oman’s Folklore, Popular Beliefs, and Women’s Oral Storytelling is a fascinating collection of tales that I read with great interest. Cinderella is alive and well in Omani women’s storytelling. And so are magicians, ogres, sorcerers, and evil stepmothers (and some stepfathers). Many of its motifs are reminiscent of famous stories in “The Thousand and One Nights” and “Sindbad.” Mapping oral traditions through the centuries is notoriously difficult. Here one may come face to face with elements that found their way into those monuments of world literature. * Marcel Kurpershoek, Visiting Scholar at New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *

Oman’s Folklore, Popular Beliefs, and Women’s Oral Storytelling is a fascinating collection of tales that I read with great interest. Cinderella is alive and well in Omani women’s storytelling. And so are magicians, ogres, sorcerers, and evil stepmothers (and some stepfathers). Many of its motifs are reminiscent of famous stories in “The Thousand and One Nights” and “Sindbad.” Mapping oral traditions through the centuries is notoriously difficult. Here one may come face to face with elements that found their way into those monuments of world literature. * Marcel Kurpershoek, Visiting Scholar at New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates * Oman’s Folklore, Popular Beliefs, and Women’s Oral Storytelling offers a wonderful journey through the rich tradition of Omani folktales narrated by women. Along with introductory chapters about women’s customs and beliefs, as well their storytelling traditions, this very readable volume presents a collection of sixty folktales recently recorded from different regions of Oman. The tales are beautifully translated and annotated by Ahmed Al-Rawi, after which a meticulous appendix lists tale-types, sources, and scholarly publications. This volume will certainly be enjoyed by both general readers and scholars alike, whether their primary interest is folktales, women, or Middle Eastern culture in general. * Dwight F. Reynolds, Distinguished Professor, UC Santa Barbara, USA, author of Arab Folklore: A Handbook *

Author Information

Ahmed Al-Rawi, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University, Canada.

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