Mother Hagar

Abstract Chapter 1 examines Hagar as the mother of Ishmael in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It analyzes the depiction of Hagar in the Hebrew Bible, in the New Testament, and in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic texts. These texts provide the foundations for other interpretations of Hagar in different time periods. Although these texts provide limited details regarding Hagar’s origins or her appearance, this chapter analyzes how these interpretations of Hagar highlight particular elements of difference, including gender, ethnicity, and status. It demonstrates that early interpretations tend not to racialize Hagar or to link her to Blackness. Hagar’s distinctiveness is connected to her construction as mother of Ishmael and as mother of a people.