Family and the Courts in Modern Egypt: A Study based on Decisions by the Shari'a Courts, 1900-1955

This important new study describes and analyzes the response of Egyptian society, as reflected in court decisions, to legal reform pertaining to matters of personal status and succession during the first half of the twentieth century. The main issues in this regard are the extent to which traditional law and legal reform are implemented or circumvented in daily practice, and the role of the judges in this process. Family and the Courts in Modern Egypt contains three parts: marriage, divorce, and intergenerational relations. Scholars and the general reader will find its main contribution to be its systematic analysis of court records relating to the application of modern reforms in family matters; and its attempt to situate the legal aspects of family life within the larger context of socio-economic development in Egyptian society.