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The Wandering Throne of Solomon: Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean

often gives them a voice by quoting interview extracts. These accounts sit alongside some forceful and arresting conclusions about the operation of some of the councils, and the take-home message that these institutions may perpetuate the disadvantage and discrimination experienced by Muslim women in Britain. Women appear to be in a catch-22 situation whereby they are inadvertently reproducing and reinforcing the conservative and constraining discourses of their communities by continuing to rely on the councils to dissolve their unhappy marriages. Shari’a councils have been subject to considerable scrutiny over the last decade, both academically, and more recently, politically, via the Home Office ‘Review’. Most of the work conducted thus far emphasizes the experience of users – especially women – as they engage with these institutions. It would be illuminating if future research considered more fully the experiences of the judges, both individually and collectively, given the positive transformations taking place as the number of home-grown, British-born Muslim leaders increases. Walker notes the changes in personnel at some of the councils she worked with, suggesting that these institutions are adaptable to new circumstances and the recruitment of new judges. Some attention to the organic and potentially very positive changes that are likely for the future of Shari’a councils might have been offered in the Conclusion, as a counterweight to the rather depressing accounts of discrimination and abuse suffered by some of the women involved in the study. Walker’s work perpetuates the focus on the most formally constituted Shari’a councils in the UK, and is thus suggestive of the need for future research to examine the experiences of women who obtain their divorce via less prominent or formally constituted councils. This is a well-written, carefully researched and very readable monograph, though the extensive footnoting may be tedious for some readers. The introduction and conclusion to each chapter highlight key points, and this makes it relatively easy for readers to get quickly to the gist of the argument. But a superficial reading of this book would miss a rewarding and sophisticated discussion of a complex and often hidden arena of social life, and a far more nuanced understanding of the complicated dynamics that shape women’s involvement with Shari’a councils. The book is theoretically informed (with particular reference to Foucault), and will likely be of interest to researchers from a wide range of fields, including sociology, Islamic Studies, law and politics.