Egypt: Perspectives on writing, popular culture and resistance

Documenting Defiance: Women Writers and Filmmakers in Tahrir Square

In this lecture, May Telmissany will discuss her own body of work as well as writers such as Ahdaf Soueif and and filmmakers such as Nevine Noujaim and Mai Iskander who played an important role in documenting the changes in epistemic beliefs related to the idea of defiance and revolution.

Popular Culture as a Realm of Resistance in the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring has lead, in many cases, to the strengthening of authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes, or to the replacement of older autocratic governments by younger ones. In this lecture, Walid El Khachab, analyses three main aspects of resistance to authoritarian regimes through cultural practices: street and graffiti art; public dancing, particularly by women; and collective devotional unorthodox practices dedicated to popular saints.