Brother Habib,

Well, no -- actually I'm a secretary working at the University.  But I am
married into a wonderful Gambian family and trying to learn and understand
as much as I can about my adopted culture and faith.  The differences as
compared to my origins are so striking, and yet there are so many
subtleties.  It gives me plenty to think about!

best regards,
Jane

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Jane Zainab Warner-Tholley
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
101 Gerberding Hall, Box 351260
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington  98195
tel  206-543-4150
fax  206-543-0779

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On Mon, 1 Mar 2004, Habib Ghanim wrote:

>
> It looks like someone is doing a university research on Gambian women here
> !1 am I right?
>
> habib
>
>
>
> >From: Jane Warner
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: question
> >Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 08:49:45 -0800
> >
> >This question has elicited a lot of fascinating information and I'm very
> >interested by everyone's responses .
> >
> >I wonder under what conditions Gambian women, in the current or in past
> >generations, have felt content with a marriage with co-wives?  There was
> >mention that rates of polygamy go down as education goes up.  This doesn't
> >seem surprising to me.  Yet, when you look at marriage in US society, it
> >is often not very edifying, what with conflict, abuse, neglect and
> >abandonment being all too common.  Perhaps our divorce rate is just
> >polygamy in another guise?
> >
> >In the minds of most Americans, I think polygamy could be a synonym for
> >sexual infidelity.  But what interests me about it is how it relates to
> >traditions, both Islamic and cultural, and if it holds a key to the proper
> >provision of the needs of men, women and children living in a community.
> >
> >From my limited experience, it has seemed to me that relations
> >between Gambian men and women are marked by a degree of formality and
> >separation.  I have wondered if that structure (if that is what it is)
> >has something to teach us in the US, where I think men/woman relations are
> >often characterized by suspicion and neediness, even to the point of
> >contempt.  I also think that these characteristics have a negative impact
> >on the work of families--to raise children, and on the possibility of
> >community, that rarest of rare things in American life.
> >
> >Jane
> >
> >
> >*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
> >
> >Jane Zainab Warner-Tholley
> >University of Washington
> >Seattle, Washington  98195
> >
> >
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> >
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