"Published in conjunction with the exhibition She who tells a story: women photographers from Iran and the Arab world, organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from August 27, 2013, to January 12, 2014."--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-160).

Director's foreword / Malcolm Rogers -- Foreword: Women of images / Michket Krifa -- Stories we thought we knew / Kristen Gresh -- Constructing identities : Lalla Essaydi ; Boushra Almutawakel ; Rania Matar ; Shirin Neshat ; Newsha Tavakolian -- New documentary : Shadi Ghadirian ; Gohar Dashti ; Rana El Nemr ; Tanya Habjouqa ; Rula Halawani ; Nermine Hammam ; Jananne Al-Ani.

"She Who Tells a Story introduces the pioneering work of twelve leading women photographers from Iran and the Arab world: Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat, and Newsha Tavakolian. As the Middle East has undergone unparalleled change over the past twenty years, and national and personal identities have been dismantled and rebuilt, these artists have tackled the very notion of representation with passion and power. Their provocative images, which range in style from photojournalism to staged and manipulated visions, explore themes of gender stereotypes, war and peace, and personal life, all the while confronting nostalgic Western notions about women of the Orient and exploring the complex political and social landscapes of their home regions. Enhanced with biographical and interpretive essays, and including more than 100 reproductions, this book challenges us to set aside preconceptions about this part of the world and share in the vision of a group of vibrant artists as they claim the right to tell their own stories in images of great sophistication, expressiveness, and beauty." -- Publisher's website.