Women, culture, social change, Islam, West Africa, Asia, North America, Afro-American, Brazil, The Caribbean, Mexico, United State, Alaska 

Introduction and theoretical considerations / Erika Bourguignon -- Part one. Islamic societies. Asia. The contemporary Saudi woman / Sherri Deaver ; Women of Brunei / Linda A. Kimball ; West Africa. Women's role in a Muslim Hausa town (Mirria, Republic of Niger) / Margaret O. Saunders ; Dioula women in town : a view of intra-ethnic variation (Ivory Coast) / Risa S. Ellovich -- Part two. Afro-American studies. Brazil. Spirit magic in the social relations between men and women (São Paulo, Brazil) / Esther Pressel ; Spirit mediums in Umbanda Evangelizada of Porto Alegre, Brazil : dimensions of power and authority / Patricia Barker Lerch ; The Caribbean. Sex and status : women in St. Vincent / Jeannette H. Henney ; Adaptive strategies and social networks of women in St. Kitts / Judith D. Gussler -- Part III. North American societies. Mexico. Women in Yucatán / Felicitas D. Goodman ; Mainland U.S.A. The uses of traditional concepts in the development of new urban roles : Cuban women in the United States / Margaret S. Boone ; The life of Sarah Penfield, rural Ohio grandmother : tradition maintained, tradition threatened / Rosemary Joyce ; Alaska. The economic role of women in Alaskan Eskimo society / Lynn Price Ager -- Part IV. Conclusions. Comparisons and implications : what have we learned? / Erika Bourguignon -- Index -- Notes on contributors.