Book Review: ‘Women Rising: In and Beyond the Arab Spring’, edited by Rita Stephan and Mounira M. Charrad (original) (raw)
Related papers
Arab Spring and the Contribution of Arab Women: Expectations and Concerns
2014
The Arab Spring seems to represent a new era of emancipation for women in the Arab world. Yet, it remains to be seen whether women will be afforded the opportunity to play substantial roles in the futures of their respective countries, or whether they will be marginalized, secluded and silenced. In this paper, I try to examine and chronicle roles played by Arab women during Arab Spring, the concerns and challenges they face and what strategies women should adopt to ensure their rights, in post-revolutionary periods. The researcher also argues how the new model of young women leaders like Ms. Karman and Asmaa Mahfouz deconstructs the prevalent narratives concerning the representation of Arab women which centers upon notions of women's sexuality, reductionist interpretations of religion and Orientalist representation of women to justify women's subordination. Finally, this paper concludes with the fundamental questions which need to be answered and the strategies which should ...
Arab Spring and the Contribution of Arab Women: Expectations and Concerns (by Isam M Shihada)
The Arab Spring seems to represent a new era of emancipation for women in the Arab world. Yet, it remains to be seen whether women will be afforded the opportunity to play substantial roles in the futures of their respective countries, or whether they will be marginalized, secluded and silenced. In this paper, I try to examine and chronicle roles played by Arab women during Arab Spring, the concerns and challenges they face and what strategies women should adopt to ensure their rights, in post- revolutionary periods. The researcher also argues how the new model of young women leaders like Ms. Karman and Asmaa Mahfouz deconstructs the prevalent narratives concerning the representation of Arab women which centers upon notions of women's sexuality, reductionist interpretations of religion and Orientalist representation of women to justify women's subordination. Finally, this paper concludes with the fundamental questions which need to be answered and the strategies which should be adopted regarding whether and how Arab women will indeed benefit from the ongoing change in the Middle East. Keywords: The Middle East, Arab Spring, Arab women, Role, Empowerment, Challenges.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE ARAB SPRING: A CHANCE TO FLOURISH, A RISK OF HIBERNATION
The so-called "Arab Spring" is leaving behind a double transitional scenario, from non-democratic regimes to democracy (i.e. in Tunisia or Egypt) and from internal conflict to peace (i.e. in Libya). In both cases, though, the professed aim is to build a sustainable peace through the instauration of the rule of law and democracy. Transitions are times of political but also social transformation. Therefore, attention should be paid to their gender-reshaping potential and the capacity to transform gender relations in society, in order to achieve changes not only in the socio-political post-conflict arena, but also in the traditional configuration of gender relations within the society in transition 3 .
COMMUNICATION, CONTEXT, INTERDISCIPLINARITY Studies and Articles Volume III Section: History, 2014
From a historical perspective and varying on different intensity levels, one may say that in the long years of resistance to dictatorships women have always played a crucial role. A perfect example to illustrate this fact is the women's involvement in the movements of the Arab Spring, be they riots or peaceful demonstrations, events that have given women unprecedented visibility. However, even after the years of the Arab Spring turmoiled events, women are still confronting attempts to exclude them from decision-making processes and the public sphere through discrimination and violence. As a reaction to this situation, the last years have revealed an increasing tendency of the engagement of Arab feminist activisms online, most notably during the citizen revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, and, specifically, women's use of online social networking to aid social change. Therefore the specific Arab organizationseither feminist or just expressing the demands of women -mobilize, produce knowledge, and develop and share resources online, the new social media becoming in the traditional Arab context precisely the key-element of communication, able to turn the local knowledge into global knowledge. By looking at the opinions and perceptions of Arab women, with particular reference to Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, this paper aims at giving key insights on the Arab Spring and its impact on women's rights, and on new social media as the most effective means of communication. It also addresses the different views and approaches of the post-authoritarian regimes by both religious and secular Arab women.
The Arab Revolution in 2011-2012 and Its Impact on Women in the Middle East and North Africa
International journal of education, culture and society, 2020
This study examines the impact of the Arab revolutions on women in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. It highlights the aftermath of the revolutions in the context of the rise of Islamist movements and their influence on the state and women. The study analyzes the role of women during the Arab uprisings and how their voices were subsequently undermined throughout the region by new institutions and governments replacing the old totalitarian regimes. This research uses a qualitative literature review with a theoretical framework based on democracy and human rights in the Arab World and political Islam with regards women. Therefore, it's focused on the period during and after the Arab uprisings and on women's status. The study mainly criticizes the negative impact political Islam had on women in public and the new patterns of the government. It inspects what we mean by democracy, why democracy is important, what kind of democracy suits Middle East and North of Africa (MENA), and the direct relation between democracy, human rights, and women's representation in particular.
Women, Islam, and Public Protest before and after the Arab Spring
Sharqiyya is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University and the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel. It publishes scholarly articles about the recent history and politics of the Middle East and North Africa and seeks to promote and disseminate the work of scholars with firsthand knowledge of the region's cultures and languages.
Women and the Arab Spring-Special Reference to Egypt and Tunisia
Modernization had offered opportunities to countless millions in the developing world but the rising tide of social and economic expectation crashed in a crisis of identity when states failed to meet the demands of their citizens for more justice, power and liberty. Starting from 2010, the world watched with bated breath as the region of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) erupted in a furore to inaugurate a new episode in history. While the protests secured the overthrow of dictatorial regimes, not everyone emerged as a winner. The rights and freedom of women who relentlessly participated in the struggle were relegated to the back burner and the cry for ‗liberation for all' seemed to be nothing but an interlude in the disconsolate trajectory of women's freedom.
Five Questions About Arab Women's Activism Five Years After the 'Arab Spring'
CyberOrient , 2017
The Arab world witnessed unprecedented waves of revolt in 2011, which have taken the whole world by surprise, and led to many unexpected outcomes and varying results. Five years after this wave of revolt, it becomes necessary to examine its wide array of effects, especially on certain groups who played a significant role in the midst of these uprisings, such as youth and women. This article addresses a number of important points pertaining to Arab women and their future, such as the effect of the turbulent political environment in the Arab region on Arab women's movements and their ability to organize; the impact of violations of human rights and the curbing of media freedom on Arab women's online and offline ac-tivism; the implications of the prevailing environment of fragmentation and polarization in many parts of the Arab world on Arab women's activ-ism, both offline and online; rethinking the potentials and limitations of "cyberactivism" and "cyberfeminism" in terms of enhancing Arab women's empowerment, activism, and inclusion; as well as coming up with a more inclusive and comprehensive approach, which accounts for different categories of Arab women, when rethinking the notion of "cyberfeminism."