A Matriarchal Memory and a Patriarchal Reality: The Place of Gender in Nubian Memory and Post-displacement In Present-Day Egypt
Webinar
July 15, 2024
9:00 AM
Zoom
Event Info
Nubia, Usually thought of as a far-gone glorious civilization in an extravagant black world. Today Nubian communities live divided between Egypt and Sudan, with the Egyptian Nubian population scattered between the displacement villages in Aswan and other Egyptian urban centers, with a sense of displacement and diaspora characterizing Nubians’ identity nourished by Nubian collective memory and imagination of the past . In this webinar we are going to explore the complexity of Nubian collective memory and the place of gender in it. Departing from the past we will discuss how Nubians today imagine and narrate their past, the matriarchal image of it and how it plays out in modern day communities. Most importantly, we will be analyzing the importance of such narratives for the identity of Nubians and how it unfolds in a highly politicized, marginalized and patriarchal scene. will take us in a journey to the Nubian place of memory to discuss To what extent can narratives about the historical matriarchy be manipulated, appropriated, or perpetuated to uphold a patriarchal social structure.
Link to Article
Poster
Fatma Imam
A Nubian Egyptian feminist researcher and translator, Arabic-speaking African. Her work focuses on the intersectionality of race, color, and gender. She earned her MA from Malta and Ghent universities in international human rights law and democratization. Her BSc was earned in political sciences from Cairo University. She is a member of the international advisory council of the solidarity network “Women Living under Muslim Laws.” Her best memory is working in the assisting committee of the Nubian representative in the constitutional committee in 2013 - 2014. She has also worked in various feminist NGOs.
Mayada Madbouly
An assistant professor in humanities at the university of Groningen, Netherlands. Her PhD focuses on Nubian activism and memory and heritage work in Egypt. Her research interests analyze memorial practices, social movements, and racialization in the Modern MENA region. She lectures on political sociology, cultural studies, and sociology of international relations.
Yahia Saleh
A Nubian Egyptian memory and identity researcher and activist engaged in issues concerning ethnic minorities, queer identities, and political participation. Together with other Nubian youth activists who have worked to raise Nubian issues to the political sphere after decades of marginalization, he has advocated for cultural recognition and land rights. Faced with the combined challenges of race, ethnicity, and sexuality, he advocates for these different identities in a variety of contexts. He is currently based in Malmö, Sweden, and has recently obtained a master’s degree in international migration and ethnic relations at Malmö University, which won the 2023 silver medal in the Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity, and Welfare MA Thesis Award.