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This book examines the ways in which women in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa have re-imagined revolutionary discourses through creativity and collective action as a means of resistance. Encompassing a stunning array of forms and genres, such as graffiti, street performance, photography, phototexts, novels, and comics, the book draws from a vast spectrum of artistic production in revolutionary periods between 2011 and 2022 in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. El Nossery sheds light on women's postrevolutionary artistic output by engaging an interdisciplinary approach: the book is divided into three sections which foreground the unique relationship between textual, visual, and performative modes as they intertwine with art and politics. Arab Women's Revolutionary Art thereby aims to demonstrate how art, as always oriented towards an open future, can preserve the revolutionary spirit that was sparked in 2011 by documenting what happened and determining which stories would be told. The revolution, therefore, continues.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part I Visualizing the Revolution.- Chapter 2. Bahia Shehab: The (In)visible Cairo Street Artist.- Chapter 3. Identity and Memory in Héla Ammar's Photo-Embroidery.- Part II Performing the Revolution.- Chapter 4. When Women's Bodies Speak in Public.- Chapter 5. Comics Against Taboos in Morocco.- Part III Writing The Revolution.- Chapter 6. Kaouther Adimi's Palimpsest of Revolutionary Histories.- Chapter 7. Revolutionary Art in Nomadic Spaces.- Chapter 8. Conclusion./
About the author
Nevine El Nossery is Associate Professor in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her expertise extends to Francophone and postcolonial studies, women’s writing, art and politics. She is the author of Egypt in Focus: Creativity in Adversarial Contexts (co-edited volume, 2021); The Unspeakable: Representations of Trauma in Francophone Literature and Art (co-edited volume, 2013); Frictions et devenirs dans les écritures migrantes au féminin (co-edited volume, 2012); and Témoignages fictionnels au féminin. Une réécriture des blancs de la guerre civile algérienne (2012).
Summary
This book examines the ways in which women in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa have re-imagined revolutionary discourses through creativity and collective action as a means of resistance. Encompassing a stunning array of forms and genres, such as graffiti, street performance, photography, phototexts, novels, and comics, the book draws from a vast spectrum of artistic production in revolutionary periods between 2011 and 2022 in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. El Nossery sheds light on women’s postrevolutionary artistic output by engaging an interdisciplinary approach: the book is divided into three sections which foreground the unique relationship between textual, visual, and performative modes as they intertwine with art and politics. Arab Women’s Revolutionary Art thereby aims to demonstrate how art, as always oriented towards an open future, can preserve the revolutionary spirit that was sparked in 2011 by documenting what happened and determining which stories would be told. The revolution, therefore, continues.
Additional text
“El Nossery’s work makes a valuable contribution to the study of artivism and the creative resistance of Arab women and makes a welcome contribution … . She highlights the complexities of their experiences, shedding light on how cultural, political, and social dynamics in the region shape their artistic expressions. In sum, El Nossery amplifies the narratives of those who are often marginalized, making her work an essential addition to the broader discussion of contemporary Arab art and activism.” (Noha Mellor, International Journal of Communication, Vol. 19, 2025)
Report
El Nossery s work makes a valuable contribution to the study of artivism and the creative resistance of Arab women and makes a welcome contribution . She highlights the complexities of their experiences, shedding light on how cultural, political, and social dynamics in the region shape their artistic expressions. In sum, El Nossery amplifies the narratives of those who are often marginalized, making her work an essential addition to the broader discussion of contemporary Arab art and activism. (Noha Mellor, International Journal of Communication, Vol. 19, 2025)
