The new Kohl issue is out | Resisting Ableism, Queering Desirability Announcement Kohl and DisAbled Women's Network - Réseau d'Action des Femmes Handicapées Canada new joint-issue is OUT NOW! Feminist Revolutionaries Call for Contributions Kohl Journal has announced that it has opened its platform to feminists wishing to write and reflect about unfolding revolutions. The call is open to submissions about historical and current feminist organizing in revolutionary times, from Lebanon to Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Kurdistan, West Asia and North Africa in general, and the Global South. Tensions in Movement Building: Kohl New Issue is Out! Announcement When Kohl Journal published the call for this issue, their hope was to document, following a “clean,” sanitized methodology of archiving, the tense politics that communities thought to be part of the same “movement” experience, embody, and live. This was an oversight. We had failed to take into account the mess of affect, of heartbreaks, of rage, of vulnerability, of sheer resistance, of solidarity and kinship. Thankfully, the authors of this issue have remedied to that, doing this issue justice. The Lebanese Crisis: Will the Deadlock Continue? Article Angry Lebanese crowds took to the streets on the 17th of November after the authorities had failed to contain wildfires in more than a 100 locations in Mechref and Chouf due to the lack of fire-fighting helicopter maintenance. This came on top of the mounting crises that the country had witnessed recently, namely, shortage of dollars in the market, fall in the value of the local currency, disruption in fuel distribution, and –to top it all- the levying of a monthly tax on a supposedly free application, WhatsApp. By Noor Baalbaki Kohl Latest Issue is Out! Journal Kohl latest issue (Vol. 5 No. 2 | Summer 2019) entitled "Organizing Against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor" is now online. Regional Summer School - Our Cities Our Future: Civic Engagement in Sustainable Urban Development Call for Applications The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, represented through its offices in Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco, welcomes applicants from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to apply for the 7th Regional Summer School, that will take place between July 29th – August 4th, 2019, in Amman, Jordan. Kohl "Alternative Economies" Conference Call for Abstracts Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research invites abstracts for the Alternative Economies conference. The conference is a follow-up to the June 2019 issue on Organizing Against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor; it will be held over two days, Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, 2019, and will take place at Mansion in Beirut, Lebanon. The two days will include discussions and presentations by authors who have published in the upcoming June issue, in addition to other interventions from contributors and researchers working in the field. Deadliine for Applying: 15/05/2019 Change in Lebanon: A Far Away Dream! Article After the Constitutional Council annulled the parliamentary membership of al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Dima Jamali after an appeal submitted by rival Taha Naji, Tripoli had to hold bi-elections to reelect a member to fill the Sunni seat. By Noor Baalbaki Organizing against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor Call for papers Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research is currently acepting submissions for its ninth issue slated for publication in June 2019. Young activists, independent researchers, graduate students and fresh graduates are particularly encouraged to apply. Kohl also welcomes submissions from seminal contributors in the field. Submissions are accepted until Sunday, 10 February, 2019. Beirut on Bike Article Suicidal or practicing for the Tour de France? Sara Stachelhaus is sharing her stories about the underprivileged cyclist minority on their every day adventures through Beirut. By Sara Stachelhaus Kohl Winter 2018 issue is out! Journal "Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research" has recently launched its new issue Vol. 4 No. 2 | Winter 2018 under the title "Centralizing Reproductive Justice." Children’s Games in Tunisia – Happy Memories Mahdi Abdel Jawad, Professor of Arabic Civilization and Literature, delves into childhood memories and games overcoming social borders. By Mahdi Abdel Jawad In the Box Article An exchange which occurs whenever I encounter new people goes as follows, ‘But you don’t speak with an Aleppian accent,’ to which I respond, ‘My accent is Christian Aleppian.’ This sums up what I like to term ‘my life in the bubble’ or ‘the box’, a state where sectarian identity takes on specific traits, as particular as the way in which certain letters and words are pronounced. I come from a traditional, middle-class Christian Aleppian family, and for most of my life have lived in the ‘Christian’ neighbourhood of al-Aziziya, where the majority of residents belong to the same sectarian and economic class in Aleppo. By Marcell Shehwaro Wigs against the Patriarchy Article How the Lebanese Drag Queen scene is fundamentally challenging heteronormative structures and traditional role models despite the legal system and a lacking tolerance of diversity. While social and familial pressures prevent living out one's identity, Drag shows create a platform for individuality, diversity and alternative family structures- because sometimes you have to choose your own family! By Inga Hofmann “Tampons? That’s nothing for girls!” Blog Leila The Spy ليلى والسرّ - Hasan Mdaghmsh Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. There's nothing that is not possible and available in Beirut but asking for tampons, the whole city breaks into cold sweat. Mirna El Masri documents her tour through shops and pharmacies of Beirut. By Mirna El Masri On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing - The New Issue of Kohl is Out! Announcement The seventh issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing," vol. 4, no. 1, Summer 2018 is now online. Centralizing Reproductive Justice Call for Papers Submissions are now open for the joint issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research and The A Project, slated for publication in December 2018. All you need to know about the Lebanese parliamentary elections Dossier It has been nearly a decade since Lebanese citizens last had the opportunity to go to the polls and cast their votes. The current parliament had been extending its mandate on three separate occasions mainly due to several reasons starting from not agreeing on a new electoral law to the ongoing war in neighboring Syria. Finally, in summer of 2017 a proportional law was agreed on and elections finally will be held on May 6 of this year. With elections approaching we have put together this dossier that would help the voter keep track of everything they need to know about the elections. Are the Lebanese Happy? Corruption and Resilience in the Light of the Parliamentary Elections Article Lebanon, often described as the Paris or Switzerland of the Middle East, and still considered safer and more stable than most Arab surrounding countries, is constantly under threat of falling apart due to its political instability and corrupt politicians. Although many Lebanese have lost their faith in their political leaders, it seems that the politicians themselves are eager to go through with the parliamentary elections. The only plausible explanation is that the politicians are confident that their supporters will eventually give them their votes, perhaps for lack of better alternatives. By Noor Baalbaki Kohl upcoming issue: On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing Call for Papers Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research invites submissions for its seventh "On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing" slated for publication in June 2018. The Deadline for submissions is February 18, 2018. Sex, Desire, and Intimacy Journal The sixth issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "Sex, Desire, and Intimacy," vol. 3, no. 2 is now Online. Kohl new Issue: Gendering Migration The Fifth issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "Gendering Migration" is out. The Federal Elections for the German Parliament Élections en Allemagne : comment ça marche ? - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung France Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. On September 24, federal elections for the German parliament will be held. Heinrich Boell's Paris office summarizes the process in this animation video Jogging on Tour all over Lebanon starting today!! Performance JOGGING Trailer - Shadi Jaber Watch on Vimeo This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Following the success of “JOGGING- Theatre in progress”* in Beirut in October 2016, Hanane Hajj Ali will give additional performances in different places Lebanon in 2017 in order to reach audiences who have less access to theatrical performances and to discuss with them the main issues presented in the play. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Take on Women’s Rights: Reading between the Lines? As a religion, Islam is often accused of discriminatory practices towards women. Whether this is true or not cannot be easily determined. On the one hand, there are indeed many verses in Qur’an which assert that women are not equal to men in their human and social status , or in matters of inheritance , court testimony , polygamy, and personal cleanliness . According to Qur’an, on many matters women are not permitted to have a voice - this is particularly the case in sexual relationships. On the other hand, there are other verses in Qur’an which suggest the opposite is true. These verses advocate for equality and harmony between men and women in an Islamic society. By Wael Sawah Crises Trigger Creativity Exhibition now online With the development of the Arab Spring across the neighboring Arab nations, such as in Syria and Egypt, and with the inescapable consequences and repercussions on the Lebanese political scene, a new wave of protests against the Lebanese politicians has arisen, particularly following the government’s failure to resolve the mounting garbage crisis. One of the most interesting aspects of these demonstrations is the involvement of numerous Lebanese artists who are using the protests as a space to address their political views. For this purpose, they use different kinds of artistic expressions, such as music, paintings, graffiti etc. in order to convey messages to a larger public and to attract a bigger number of protestors and activists. Between Trauma and Resistance: Feminist Engagement with the Arab Spring These days, to ask what effect the Arab Spring had on women is to pose a question which seems ridiculous, irrelevant almost, given the bloody and brutal outcomes of revolutions in countries such as Syria, Libya and Yemen, and the ongoing repercussions of the uprising in Egypt, which leave no room for doubt that the dreams of the millions who demonstrated in Egypt's Tahrir Square in 2011 chanting ‘Bread, Liberty and Social Justice’ and calling for ‘Dignity and Freedom’ widespread in Syria, Libya and Yemen, have become terrifying nightmares which have touched on the lives of all members of society. But the progressive feminist movement across the Middle East is recovering from a particularly traumatic ride, and are finding they are being forced to fight again on issues which were on the table at the very birth of the movement and were felt by many to have been reconciled. By Honaida Ghanim In Order to Be Taken Seriously Immediately after we’d finished discussing the challenges facing Aleppo in front of a large audience I was asked by a friend of mine, a leading figure in the Syrian civil society movement, how I was able to appear so unmoved, without anger or emotion, even when talking about the most painful experiences of my life and my losses, such as my mother being martyred; the interrogations I had faced, or other similar incidents, experienced by all Syrian activists such as myself. Sometimes, he said, he was afraid he might one day break down on stage and they’d say ‘Those Syrians! Babies. So emotional!’ By Marcell Shehwaro Skin-Deep Only: Troubling Hypocrisies in the Ba’ath Party’s Approach to Women’s Rights and Secularism in Syria The Ba’ath regime in Syria has never truly resolved the national debate over how to maintain the secular nature of the state. Constant assertions of its secularism in official and media discourses are at odds with the actions of the state and the manner in which the country is run. The Ba’ath Party itself, which has ruled the country for the past half century, pretends to be proud of its secular constitution; however, the party has never managed to persuade anyone that it is a genuinely secular organisation. In the 1980s, while militiamen loyal to the current president’s uncle, Rifaat al-Assad, were ripping the hijab from the heads of women in the capital, Syrian television continued to broadcast the Friday prayers every week. In the 1990s, even as thousands of Islamists crowded into the regime’s prisons, the number of mosques was on the rise. State security-run al-Assad Institutes for Qur’an Memorization were opening their doors to new students - a large proportion of which are now in 2016 fighting with Islamist groups against the regime in Damascus. By Yahya Alous Khadija, do not close the door! - Launch of perspectives #11 The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East has the pleasure to invite you to the launch of the 11th issue of Perspectives:“Khadija, do not close the door!” - Women in Peace, in War and in BetweenWednesday, December 14, 2016, 7 pmDar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, Clemenceau, Beirut Voting irregularities during student elections at universities Now you can watch a video created by The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) in collaboration with Heinrich Boell Stiftung-Middle East showcasing some common voting irregularities during student elections at universities. The audiovisual was represented through the lens of a college student, who was continuously getting bombarded by campaigners trying to enforce these irregularities on him; namely coercion, intimidation, bribes, harassment, inaccessibility to the polling station, and lack of privacy in the secret ballot. Civic Charter Repression of civil society is on the rise all over the world. The charter aims to support civil society organizations as activists throughout the world, to advocate for their rights and freedom of action, and to demand government guarantees. Bacchus and Bombs While wandering around in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Luna Ali reflects in four versatile sections on two important stages of her life. People, flavours and places make Luna look back into her past and different worlds of thought. By Luna Ali Jogging – Theatre in progress Last performances this week 27, 28, 29, 30 October English subtitles on 27, 29, 30 October French subtitles on the 28th Book your seat on joggingbooking@gmail.com ahead as the space can take in 75 to 80 persons maximum Or call/WhatsApp 78841310 / 03035298 Looking forward to sharing this experience with you! Horsh Beirut Festival 2016 After the recent opening of Horsh Beirut to the public, Assabil Friends of Public Libraries and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East will soon host #Horsh2016! Naked legs beyond good and evil? Burkini vs. Speedos On Europe's beaches, women are requested to show more skin, on Lebanese beaches, men are requested to cover up more. What in Germany is considered to be just normal swimming trunks is considered inappropriate in Lebanon. By Brandie Podlech Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis Roua Seghaier reviews Angela Davis’ "Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement." She highlights the intersections of history, memory, resistance, and movement building in times of violence. "International solidarity is not only possible, it is already showing signs of its emergence. Davis explains that the Ferguson movement has understood that it does not need the traditional charismatic Black male leadership. Without romanticizing the movement, she explains that agency shall not be limited to leaders, centering collectivity at the core of change instead." By Roua Seghaier Beyond the Logic of State Protection: Feminist Self-Defense in Cairo after the January 25 Revolution In the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution, self-defense tactics became popular against the fear of disorder and the increase of public sexual violence in Cairo. In this article, I examine a number of examples of self-defense invoked by public and private actors after the 2011 Revolution, and differentiate between two types of practices. The first, articulated around the right of legitimate self-defense recognized in the Egyptian penal code, aim to maintain or to restore the established order through the identification of an Other that embodies a threat to the self, property or community. In contrast to this, radical modes of self-defense endeavor to subvert the given order by disrupting the gendered logic of masculinist and state protection and promoting horizontal relations of care and solidarity. Drawing on data generated through interviews with members of the initiative OpAntiSH and the collective WenDo, this article explores the importance of strategies and communities of autonomous self-defense in Egypt in relation to legal and policy measures adopted against sexual harassment by El-Sisi’s regime since 2014. By Susana Galán Revisiting Community Organizing and National Liberation in the Saharawi Feminist Politics This paper examines how Saharawi feminist political praxis shapes community organizing and national liberation politics. I attempt to disrupt the binaries of national liberation and freedom through a reading of the political and temporal context of the engagements of National Union of Saharawi Women feminists in the refugee camps, in Tindouf, Algeria. From ethnographic encounters, the paper aims to challenge the linearity of violence in armed conflict by looking into nuances and politics of feminists who challenge the equation of national liberation as state-building, and simultaneously argue for more just and inclusive forms of organizing for the Saharawi community. This research looks at Saharawi feminist politics and visions for the future that are vigilantly articulated from within militarized institutions and protracted armed conflict. By Kenza Yousfi Breaking boundaries, biennially Spring has returned. That is, SHAMS (the Cultural Cooperative Association for Youth in Theater and Cinema), Cultural Resource and partners have announced the program of the 2016 Spring Festival.
The new Kohl issue is out | Resisting Ableism, Queering Desirability Announcement Kohl and DisAbled Women's Network - Réseau d'Action des Femmes Handicapées Canada new joint-issue is OUT NOW!
Feminist Revolutionaries Call for Contributions Kohl Journal has announced that it has opened its platform to feminists wishing to write and reflect about unfolding revolutions. The call is open to submissions about historical and current feminist organizing in revolutionary times, from Lebanon to Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Kurdistan, West Asia and North Africa in general, and the Global South.
Tensions in Movement Building: Kohl New Issue is Out! Announcement When Kohl Journal published the call for this issue, their hope was to document, following a “clean,” sanitized methodology of archiving, the tense politics that communities thought to be part of the same “movement” experience, embody, and live. This was an oversight. We had failed to take into account the mess of affect, of heartbreaks, of rage, of vulnerability, of sheer resistance, of solidarity and kinship. Thankfully, the authors of this issue have remedied to that, doing this issue justice.
The Lebanese Crisis: Will the Deadlock Continue? Article Angry Lebanese crowds took to the streets on the 17th of November after the authorities had failed to contain wildfires in more than a 100 locations in Mechref and Chouf due to the lack of fire-fighting helicopter maintenance. This came on top of the mounting crises that the country had witnessed recently, namely, shortage of dollars in the market, fall in the value of the local currency, disruption in fuel distribution, and –to top it all- the levying of a monthly tax on a supposedly free application, WhatsApp. By Noor Baalbaki
Kohl Latest Issue is Out! Journal Kohl latest issue (Vol. 5 No. 2 | Summer 2019) entitled "Organizing Against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor" is now online.
Regional Summer School - Our Cities Our Future: Civic Engagement in Sustainable Urban Development Call for Applications The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, represented through its offices in Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco, welcomes applicants from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to apply for the 7th Regional Summer School, that will take place between July 29th – August 4th, 2019, in Amman, Jordan.
Kohl "Alternative Economies" Conference Call for Abstracts Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research invites abstracts for the Alternative Economies conference. The conference is a follow-up to the June 2019 issue on Organizing Against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor; it will be held over two days, Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, 2019, and will take place at Mansion in Beirut, Lebanon. The two days will include discussions and presentations by authors who have published in the upcoming June issue, in addition to other interventions from contributors and researchers working in the field. Deadliine for Applying: 15/05/2019
Change in Lebanon: A Far Away Dream! Article After the Constitutional Council annulled the parliamentary membership of al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Dima Jamali after an appeal submitted by rival Taha Naji, Tripoli had to hold bi-elections to reelect a member to fill the Sunni seat. By Noor Baalbaki
Organizing against the Tide: Alternative Economies and Gendered Labor Call for papers Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research is currently acepting submissions for its ninth issue slated for publication in June 2019. Young activists, independent researchers, graduate students and fresh graduates are particularly encouraged to apply. Kohl also welcomes submissions from seminal contributors in the field. Submissions are accepted until Sunday, 10 February, 2019.
Beirut on Bike Article Suicidal or practicing for the Tour de France? Sara Stachelhaus is sharing her stories about the underprivileged cyclist minority on their every day adventures through Beirut. By Sara Stachelhaus
Kohl Winter 2018 issue is out! Journal "Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research" has recently launched its new issue Vol. 4 No. 2 | Winter 2018 under the title "Centralizing Reproductive Justice."
Children’s Games in Tunisia – Happy Memories Mahdi Abdel Jawad, Professor of Arabic Civilization and Literature, delves into childhood memories and games overcoming social borders. By Mahdi Abdel Jawad
In the Box Article An exchange which occurs whenever I encounter new people goes as follows, ‘But you don’t speak with an Aleppian accent,’ to which I respond, ‘My accent is Christian Aleppian.’ This sums up what I like to term ‘my life in the bubble’ or ‘the box’, a state where sectarian identity takes on specific traits, as particular as the way in which certain letters and words are pronounced. I come from a traditional, middle-class Christian Aleppian family, and for most of my life have lived in the ‘Christian’ neighbourhood of al-Aziziya, where the majority of residents belong to the same sectarian and economic class in Aleppo. By Marcell Shehwaro
Wigs against the Patriarchy Article How the Lebanese Drag Queen scene is fundamentally challenging heteronormative structures and traditional role models despite the legal system and a lacking tolerance of diversity. While social and familial pressures prevent living out one's identity, Drag shows create a platform for individuality, diversity and alternative family structures- because sometimes you have to choose your own family! By Inga Hofmann
“Tampons? That’s nothing for girls!” Blog Leila The Spy ليلى والسرّ - Hasan Mdaghmsh Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. There's nothing that is not possible and available in Beirut but asking for tampons, the whole city breaks into cold sweat. Mirna El Masri documents her tour through shops and pharmacies of Beirut. By Mirna El Masri
On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing - The New Issue of Kohl is Out! Announcement The seventh issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing," vol. 4, no. 1, Summer 2018 is now online.
Centralizing Reproductive Justice Call for Papers Submissions are now open for the joint issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research and The A Project, slated for publication in December 2018.
All you need to know about the Lebanese parliamentary elections Dossier It has been nearly a decade since Lebanese citizens last had the opportunity to go to the polls and cast their votes. The current parliament had been extending its mandate on three separate occasions mainly due to several reasons starting from not agreeing on a new electoral law to the ongoing war in neighboring Syria. Finally, in summer of 2017 a proportional law was agreed on and elections finally will be held on May 6 of this year. With elections approaching we have put together this dossier that would help the voter keep track of everything they need to know about the elections.
Are the Lebanese Happy? Corruption and Resilience in the Light of the Parliamentary Elections Article Lebanon, often described as the Paris or Switzerland of the Middle East, and still considered safer and more stable than most Arab surrounding countries, is constantly under threat of falling apart due to its political instability and corrupt politicians. Although many Lebanese have lost their faith in their political leaders, it seems that the politicians themselves are eager to go through with the parliamentary elections. The only plausible explanation is that the politicians are confident that their supporters will eventually give them their votes, perhaps for lack of better alternatives. By Noor Baalbaki
Kohl upcoming issue: On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing Call for Papers Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research invites submissions for its seventh "On Incarceration, Surveillance, and Policing" slated for publication in June 2018. The Deadline for submissions is February 18, 2018.
Sex, Desire, and Intimacy Journal The sixth issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "Sex, Desire, and Intimacy," vol. 3, no. 2 is now Online.
Kohl new Issue: Gendering Migration The Fifth issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research, "Gendering Migration" is out.
The Federal Elections for the German Parliament Élections en Allemagne : comment ça marche ? - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung France Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. On September 24, federal elections for the German parliament will be held. Heinrich Boell's Paris office summarizes the process in this animation video
Jogging on Tour all over Lebanon starting today!! Performance JOGGING Trailer - Shadi Jaber Watch on Vimeo This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Following the success of “JOGGING- Theatre in progress”* in Beirut in October 2016, Hanane Hajj Ali will give additional performances in different places Lebanon in 2017 in order to reach audiences who have less access to theatrical performances and to discuss with them the main issues presented in the play.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Take on Women’s Rights: Reading between the Lines? As a religion, Islam is often accused of discriminatory practices towards women. Whether this is true or not cannot be easily determined. On the one hand, there are indeed many verses in Qur’an which assert that women are not equal to men in their human and social status , or in matters of inheritance , court testimony , polygamy, and personal cleanliness . According to Qur’an, on many matters women are not permitted to have a voice - this is particularly the case in sexual relationships. On the other hand, there are other verses in Qur’an which suggest the opposite is true. These verses advocate for equality and harmony between men and women in an Islamic society. By Wael Sawah
Crises Trigger Creativity Exhibition now online With the development of the Arab Spring across the neighboring Arab nations, such as in Syria and Egypt, and with the inescapable consequences and repercussions on the Lebanese political scene, a new wave of protests against the Lebanese politicians has arisen, particularly following the government’s failure to resolve the mounting garbage crisis. One of the most interesting aspects of these demonstrations is the involvement of numerous Lebanese artists who are using the protests as a space to address their political views. For this purpose, they use different kinds of artistic expressions, such as music, paintings, graffiti etc. in order to convey messages to a larger public and to attract a bigger number of protestors and activists.
Between Trauma and Resistance: Feminist Engagement with the Arab Spring These days, to ask what effect the Arab Spring had on women is to pose a question which seems ridiculous, irrelevant almost, given the bloody and brutal outcomes of revolutions in countries such as Syria, Libya and Yemen, and the ongoing repercussions of the uprising in Egypt, which leave no room for doubt that the dreams of the millions who demonstrated in Egypt's Tahrir Square in 2011 chanting ‘Bread, Liberty and Social Justice’ and calling for ‘Dignity and Freedom’ widespread in Syria, Libya and Yemen, have become terrifying nightmares which have touched on the lives of all members of society. But the progressive feminist movement across the Middle East is recovering from a particularly traumatic ride, and are finding they are being forced to fight again on issues which were on the table at the very birth of the movement and were felt by many to have been reconciled. By Honaida Ghanim
In Order to Be Taken Seriously Immediately after we’d finished discussing the challenges facing Aleppo in front of a large audience I was asked by a friend of mine, a leading figure in the Syrian civil society movement, how I was able to appear so unmoved, without anger or emotion, even when talking about the most painful experiences of my life and my losses, such as my mother being martyred; the interrogations I had faced, or other similar incidents, experienced by all Syrian activists such as myself. Sometimes, he said, he was afraid he might one day break down on stage and they’d say ‘Those Syrians! Babies. So emotional!’ By Marcell Shehwaro
Skin-Deep Only: Troubling Hypocrisies in the Ba’ath Party’s Approach to Women’s Rights and Secularism in Syria The Ba’ath regime in Syria has never truly resolved the national debate over how to maintain the secular nature of the state. Constant assertions of its secularism in official and media discourses are at odds with the actions of the state and the manner in which the country is run. The Ba’ath Party itself, which has ruled the country for the past half century, pretends to be proud of its secular constitution; however, the party has never managed to persuade anyone that it is a genuinely secular organisation. In the 1980s, while militiamen loyal to the current president’s uncle, Rifaat al-Assad, were ripping the hijab from the heads of women in the capital, Syrian television continued to broadcast the Friday prayers every week. In the 1990s, even as thousands of Islamists crowded into the regime’s prisons, the number of mosques was on the rise. State security-run al-Assad Institutes for Qur’an Memorization were opening their doors to new students - a large proportion of which are now in 2016 fighting with Islamist groups against the regime in Damascus. By Yahya Alous
Khadija, do not close the door! - Launch of perspectives #11 The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East has the pleasure to invite you to the launch of the 11th issue of Perspectives:“Khadija, do not close the door!” - Women in Peace, in War and in BetweenWednesday, December 14, 2016, 7 pmDar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, Clemenceau, Beirut
Voting irregularities during student elections at universities Now you can watch a video created by The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) in collaboration with Heinrich Boell Stiftung-Middle East showcasing some common voting irregularities during student elections at universities. The audiovisual was represented through the lens of a college student, who was continuously getting bombarded by campaigners trying to enforce these irregularities on him; namely coercion, intimidation, bribes, harassment, inaccessibility to the polling station, and lack of privacy in the secret ballot.
Civic Charter Repression of civil society is on the rise all over the world. The charter aims to support civil society organizations as activists throughout the world, to advocate for their rights and freedom of action, and to demand government guarantees.
Bacchus and Bombs While wandering around in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Luna Ali reflects in four versatile sections on two important stages of her life. People, flavours and places make Luna look back into her past and different worlds of thought. By Luna Ali
Jogging – Theatre in progress Last performances this week 27, 28, 29, 30 October English subtitles on 27, 29, 30 October French subtitles on the 28th Book your seat on joggingbooking@gmail.com ahead as the space can take in 75 to 80 persons maximum Or call/WhatsApp 78841310 / 03035298 Looking forward to sharing this experience with you!
Horsh Beirut Festival 2016 After the recent opening of Horsh Beirut to the public, Assabil Friends of Public Libraries and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East will soon host #Horsh2016!
Naked legs beyond good and evil? Burkini vs. Speedos On Europe's beaches, women are requested to show more skin, on Lebanese beaches, men are requested to cover up more. What in Germany is considered to be just normal swimming trunks is considered inappropriate in Lebanon. By Brandie Podlech
Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis Roua Seghaier reviews Angela Davis’ "Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement." She highlights the intersections of history, memory, resistance, and movement building in times of violence. "International solidarity is not only possible, it is already showing signs of its emergence. Davis explains that the Ferguson movement has understood that it does not need the traditional charismatic Black male leadership. Without romanticizing the movement, she explains that agency shall not be limited to leaders, centering collectivity at the core of change instead." By Roua Seghaier
Beyond the Logic of State Protection: Feminist Self-Defense in Cairo after the January 25 Revolution In the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution, self-defense tactics became popular against the fear of disorder and the increase of public sexual violence in Cairo. In this article, I examine a number of examples of self-defense invoked by public and private actors after the 2011 Revolution, and differentiate between two types of practices. The first, articulated around the right of legitimate self-defense recognized in the Egyptian penal code, aim to maintain or to restore the established order through the identification of an Other that embodies a threat to the self, property or community. In contrast to this, radical modes of self-defense endeavor to subvert the given order by disrupting the gendered logic of masculinist and state protection and promoting horizontal relations of care and solidarity. Drawing on data generated through interviews with members of the initiative OpAntiSH and the collective WenDo, this article explores the importance of strategies and communities of autonomous self-defense in Egypt in relation to legal and policy measures adopted against sexual harassment by El-Sisi’s regime since 2014. By Susana Galán
Revisiting Community Organizing and National Liberation in the Saharawi Feminist Politics This paper examines how Saharawi feminist political praxis shapes community organizing and national liberation politics. I attempt to disrupt the binaries of national liberation and freedom through a reading of the political and temporal context of the engagements of National Union of Saharawi Women feminists in the refugee camps, in Tindouf, Algeria. From ethnographic encounters, the paper aims to challenge the linearity of violence in armed conflict by looking into nuances and politics of feminists who challenge the equation of national liberation as state-building, and simultaneously argue for more just and inclusive forms of organizing for the Saharawi community. This research looks at Saharawi feminist politics and visions for the future that are vigilantly articulated from within militarized institutions and protracted armed conflict. By Kenza Yousfi
Breaking boundaries, biennially Spring has returned. That is, SHAMS (the Cultural Cooperative Association for Youth in Theater and Cinema), Cultural Resource and partners have announced the program of the 2016 Spring Festival.