Arab Women and the Question of the Nation AbstractsRaad Khair Allah, IASH Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital HumanitiesContemporary Arab Diasporas: Reimagining Nationhood in Arab Cultural and Digital FeminismThis interdisciplinary digital project examines the literary and artistic contributions of Syrian and Palestinian women in the Western diaspora since the 1970s to nation-building. Investigating how women leverage AI tools, such as Canva and Soundtrap, to create art, music, and literature that reflect their unique perspectives, my project highlights the interplay between transnational connections and their distinctive diaspora experience. It shows the relationship between the arts, technology, and society through showcasing how these elements interactively shape and influence nation-making narratives. By combining close readings with AI tools like Voyant Tools and Google Vision, the project reveals patterns and insights in cultural productions that traditional methods may overlook.Sara Ababneh, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of SheffieldRepoliticising Women's Issues: Jordan's Women's Movement between Popular and Development PoliticsJordanian women were an integral part of the Jordanian Popular Movement (al Hirak al Sha’bi al Urduni, Hirak in short) protests in 2011/2012. Yet, despite their large numbers and presence, female protestors did not call for any of the commonly known ‘women’s issues’ (qadaya al mar’a) which include fighting Gender Based Violence (GBV), legal reform, increasing women’s political participation, and women’s economic empowerment. This paper argues that the protestors’ silence concerning most of the problems usually included in the list of ‘women’s issues’ raises the question of how prevalent these issues are (or not) in the lives of Jordanian women. Drawing on Foucault’s notion of discourse, insights from intersectional feminists and critical development studies, I argue that the composition of the Jordanian women’s movement on the one hand, and how these women conceptualize women’s rights discursively, as a result of how global discursive shifts were adopted in Jordan on the other hand, help explain why the list of women’s issues ignores the lived realities of most Jordanian women. In detail, I examine who participated in the Hirak and who did not. I seek to understand the absence of members of the Jordanian Women’s Movement through conducting a historical reading of this movement. In contrast, I study why women members of the Day Wage Labor movement participated in the Hirak. This contrast helps me think through what a list of women’s issues that includes national and communal issues might look like. The paper ends with recent developments in Jordanian women’s rights activism and asks whether intersectional understandings of womanhood are being considered.RegistrationClick here to register via EventbriteThis is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.Please note, filming, recording and/or photography may take place at this event.If you have any queries regarding this event, please email gender.ed@ed.ac.uk Nov 13 2025 13.00 - 14.30 Arab Women and the Question of the Nation This roundtable brings together Dr Raad Khair Allah and Dr Sara Ababneh to explore how Arab women have engaged with and reshaped ideas of nationhood, identity, and political struggle across diverse contexts. Violet Laidlaw Room (6.02), Chrystal Macmillan Building, The University of Edinburgh 15a George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LD Register
Arab Women and the Question of the Nation AbstractsRaad Khair Allah, IASH Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital HumanitiesContemporary Arab Diasporas: Reimagining Nationhood in Arab Cultural and Digital FeminismThis interdisciplinary digital project examines the literary and artistic contributions of Syrian and Palestinian women in the Western diaspora since the 1970s to nation-building. Investigating how women leverage AI tools, such as Canva and Soundtrap, to create art, music, and literature that reflect their unique perspectives, my project highlights the interplay between transnational connections and their distinctive diaspora experience. It shows the relationship between the arts, technology, and society through showcasing how these elements interactively shape and influence nation-making narratives. By combining close readings with AI tools like Voyant Tools and Google Vision, the project reveals patterns and insights in cultural productions that traditional methods may overlook.Sara Ababneh, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of SheffieldRepoliticising Women's Issues: Jordan's Women's Movement between Popular and Development PoliticsJordanian women were an integral part of the Jordanian Popular Movement (al Hirak al Sha’bi al Urduni, Hirak in short) protests in 2011/2012. Yet, despite their large numbers and presence, female protestors did not call for any of the commonly known ‘women’s issues’ (qadaya al mar’a) which include fighting Gender Based Violence (GBV), legal reform, increasing women’s political participation, and women’s economic empowerment. This paper argues that the protestors’ silence concerning most of the problems usually included in the list of ‘women’s issues’ raises the question of how prevalent these issues are (or not) in the lives of Jordanian women. Drawing on Foucault’s notion of discourse, insights from intersectional feminists and critical development studies, I argue that the composition of the Jordanian women’s movement on the one hand, and how these women conceptualize women’s rights discursively, as a result of how global discursive shifts were adopted in Jordan on the other hand, help explain why the list of women’s issues ignores the lived realities of most Jordanian women. In detail, I examine who participated in the Hirak and who did not. I seek to understand the absence of members of the Jordanian Women’s Movement through conducting a historical reading of this movement. In contrast, I study why women members of the Day Wage Labor movement participated in the Hirak. This contrast helps me think through what a list of women’s issues that includes national and communal issues might look like. The paper ends with recent developments in Jordanian women’s rights activism and asks whether intersectional understandings of womanhood are being considered.RegistrationClick here to register via EventbriteThis is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.Please note, filming, recording and/or photography may take place at this event.If you have any queries regarding this event, please email gender.ed@ed.ac.uk Nov 13 2025 13.00 - 14.30 Arab Women and the Question of the Nation This roundtable brings together Dr Raad Khair Allah and Dr Sara Ababneh to explore how Arab women have engaged with and reshaped ideas of nationhood, identity, and political struggle across diverse contexts. Violet Laidlaw Room (6.02), Chrystal Macmillan Building, The University of Edinburgh 15a George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LD Register
Nov 13 2025 13.00 - 14.30 Arab Women and the Question of the Nation This roundtable brings together Dr Raad Khair Allah and Dr Sara Ababneh to explore how Arab women have engaged with and reshaped ideas of nationhood, identity, and political struggle across diverse contexts.
