The Women and Memory Forum (WMF) collaborated with HUSSLAB at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to organize an online course entitled ‘Reading Heritage from a Gendered Perspective.’ The course was held via Zoom in the period from 26 to 28 February 2021, and targeted undergraduate students of the humanities and social sciences who are interested in the heritage and documents on history and knowledge.

The course was organized as part of the WMF’s educational project Gender Education Programs.[1]

The WMF’s Gender Education Programs are conducted in collaboration with various universities and research centers to introduce the participants to gender studies through lectures and practical applications on the key concepts and topics in gender studies and gender theories across diverse disciplines and academic fields. The programs provide participants with theoretical and applied readings, as well as bibliographies, key references, and primary sources on gender issues in the humanities and social sciences.

Course objectives:

• Read and analyze selected texts and documents from a gender-sensitive perspective that considers the historical, social, and cultural construction of gender.
• Examine the historical images of women and their presence in traditional sources.
• Analyze the different discourses in historical and religious texts and documents, and their impact on understanding women’s and gender issues between the past and the present.
• Discuss issues related to the process of historiography, the conditions of producing a historical text, and the impact of the social and political context as well as the voice of the historian on the production of history.
• Identify the shallow and erroneous uses of history and heritage against women’s rights.

Course agenda:

Friday 26 February 2021: Dr. Huda al-Saadi

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Reading historical sources from a feminist perspective. Heritage books: Al-Tabaqat and al-Akhbar

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Break

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Applied readings

Saturday 27 February 2021: Dr. Noha Abu Khatwah

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Reading non-traditional sources from a feminist perspective. Heritage books: Waqfeyat and Makhtutat

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Break

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Applied readings

Sunday 28 February 2021: Dr. Amira Abu Talib

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Reading religious texts: women, the family, and the concept of Ihsan in the Qur’an and its interpretations.

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Break

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Applied readings

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1- Gender Education Programs