Recognizing Women’s Agency: Historical Representations of Zubaidah bint Ja’far’s Philanthropy and Patronage in the Abbasid Public Sphere

Abstract

This article aims to highlight the strategic role of Zubaidah bint Ja’far, the wife of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, in shaping the intellectual and cultural climate during the Abbasid Dynasty, particularly through women’s agency in informal power structures within the realms of philanthropy and patronage. This study employs a historical-analytical approach by examining primary sources, including classical Islamic historical chronicles, as well as secondary sources that discuss patronage, philanthropy, and the role of women in Islamic history. The analysis is grounded in existentialist gender theory, drawing from Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex”. Zubaidah succeeded in transcending her social position as “the other” by establishing a tangible influence through social, cultural, and religious initiatives, which included supporting artists, poets, and scholars through literary assemblies at the palace. Her philanthropic activities, such as the construction of the Darb Zubaidah pilgrimage route—now recognized by UNESCO—and large-scale water infrastructure projects, demonstrate her ability to impact public welfare beyond the domestic sphere. These findings indicate that, despite lacking a formal position of power, Zubaidah was able to shape the social and cultural landscape of her time. This study underscores the importance of re-examining the role of women in Islamic history from a more critical and egalitarian perspective, while also creating opportunities for further research on women’s agency across historical periods.

Abstrak: Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menyoroti peran strategis Zubaidah binti Ja‘far, istri Khalifah Harun al-Rasyid, dalam membentuk iklim intelektual dan budaya pada masa Dinasti Abbasiyah, khususnya melalui agensi perempuan dalam ruang kekuasaan non-formal di bidang filantropi dan patronase. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan historis-analitis dengan menelaah sumber primer berupa kronik sejarah Islam klasik serta sumber sekunder yang membahas patronase, filantropi, dan peran perempuan dalam sejarah Islam. Analisis berlandaskan teori gender eksistensialis dari karya Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex. Zubaidah berhasil melampaui posisi sosialnya sebagai “yang lain” dengan membangun pengaruh nyata melalui inisiatif sosial, budaya, dan keagamaan, termasuk mendukung seniman, penyair, dan cendekiawan melalui majelis sastra di istana. Kegiatan filantropisnya, seperti pembangunan jalur ziarah Darb Zubaidah—yang kini diakui UNESCO—serta infrastruktur air berskala luas, menunjukkan kemampuan memengaruhi kesejahteraan publik di luar ranah domestik. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa meskipun tanpa posisi formal dalam kekuasaan, Zubaidah mampu membentuk lanskap sosial dan budaya masanya. Studi ini menegaskan pentingnya mengkaji ulang peran perempuan dalam sejarah Islam dengan perspektif yang lebih kritis dan setara sekaligus membuka ruang bagi studi lanjutan tentang agensi perempuan lintas periode sejarah.