Writing history – and defining our identity, individually and collectively – is linked to memory and memorialization, which never seem to be complete. Someone is always forgotten. Pieces of the puzzle are always missing. I tend to agree with Napoleon or whoever said “History is but a fable agreed upon”. In the history – or […]
Category Archives: Gender Studies
Rape Culture in the UAE
Rates of sexual harassment continue to rise in the Middle East, feasibly linked to culture-enforced lack of sex education, experts say. In an interview with Joan Abdalla, a Counselor and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the American University in Dubai, she has revealed that the absence of awareness could be a contributing factor to how […]
A visit to the Women's Museum in Dubai
Amazing fieldtrip with my ‘Women and Gender in the Middle East’ students (American University in Dubai, Middle Eastern Studies Division)! We explored a unique cultural space in the Arab world where UAE women’s lives and achievements are celebrated. The Women’s Museum was established by the Emirati professor Rafia Ghubash in 2012 in order to preserve […]
Voicing Silences
The 21-year-old Lebanese-American porn star Mia Khalifa sparked controversy few days ago in Lebanon, after topping the charts of the most popular online adult site PornHub. While many were offended by her work and her tattoo ‘Koullouna lil-watan, lil ‘oula lil ‘alam’ (opening line of the Lebanese national anthem) and even demonized her, others saw […]
جسد امرأة ثائر
آه، هذا الجسد الثائر يضع ويخسر حدوده يسامر خسائر البشر تحدّثه وتغتصب ساعاته تقتله وتحولّه أياما دون أيام هذا الجسد الحائر يدور ويدور يحاكي فيوض الدماء الّتي تهجر كيانه يبكيها وتحوي رسائله تزدري العالم وألوانه تأوي أوغاده وأنذاله تحضنهم فتحضن نفسها وتتملّق جسد يداه تمسكان بالثلوج تداعبان زوال الحياة في خضّم شرائع الكذب […]
Equality doesn't mean justice
I always hear that men and women should be equal. On paper, I agree with it. But practically, it’s not doable. Men and women are not equal, and chances are they will never be. When you have two of one thing, there’s a power dynamics at play. There are two genders, two roles, two social […]
من أجل نسويّة فاعلة
د. باميلا شرابيّة ~~تركّز عدّة دراسات حاليًّا وخاصّةً منذ بدء ما سمّي بالربيع العربيّ، على مكانة المرأة بشكلٍ عامّ، والنسويّة بشكل خاصّ، في سياق الحرب والاحتلال العسكريّ والنزاع الأهليّ في بلدان المشرق العربيّ. أذكر على سبيل المثال: أمل عميرة، أميرة يوسف بدري، داليا سعيد مصطفى، دينا جورجيس، هيفاء زنكنة، إلخ. تعكس هذه الدراسات التزاماً عميقاً […]
Perceptions du corps de la femme au Liban
Bien que les définitions de l’être femme soient diverses au Liban, il en est une qui constitue la norme et qui reste difficilement détrônable, quelles que soient les appartenances confessionnelles, politiques, socio-économiques et générationnelles : afin d’être acceptée par l’autre (individuel et collectif), de préserver son honneur et son intégrité (et l’honneur de la famille) et […]
Lesson learnt (Men vs Women – Who are the better drivers?)
How many times have we heard: a�?Ita��s got to be a woman driving that car!a�?, a�?Give her 5mins to park that cara�?, a�?Wea��re going to be here all day if we wait for her to get out of that parking spota�?, etc. Lesson learnt: these are stereotypes.A� Stereotypes are little pieces of reality that took […]
Plaidoyer pour les civils libanais! (1) Pour la cause des femmes
#nolawnovote#kafa Je vis au Liban, ce petit pays-sables mouvants, ce pays-dérive, ce pays-mirage aux douceurs et douleurs mêlées… Un pays aux couchers de soleil beaux à tomber par terre, aux magnifiques ciels d’hiver quand ils rejoignent la mer entre deux orages. Un pays aux sourires familiers à faire chavirer les plus endurcis, réchauffer les coeurs […]