Chivvis Moore discusses her new memoir, First Tie Your Camel, Then Trust In God: An American Feminist in the Arab World. Moore lived in the Middle East for 17 years, including three in Egypt, three in Syria, and 11 in Palestine. She talks about what attracted her and what she learned about Muslim and Arab culture, volunteering as a medic in Jenin Refugee Camp immediately after the brutal siege of 2002, the impact of Western funding on the Palestinian women’s movement, and how community helps people make it through intolerable situations.
Then we listen to part of an interview with Cynthia Enloe, perhaps the foremost U.S. scholar on gender and militarism. Enloe is the author of many books including Does Khaki Become You? The Militarization of Women’s Lives, Bananas, Beaches, and Bases, and Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link. As the Pentagon announces that it is now open to transgender soldiers, we discuss the role of the military in enforcing cultural ideals of masculinity and how the integration of women into units has – and has not – challenged that.
Also, a brief tribute to trailblazing basketball coach Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in the sport’s history.