Casting off the Veil The Life of Huda Shaarawi, Egypt's First Feminist

by Lanfranchi, Sania Sharawi

• ISBN13: 9781848857193
• ISBN10: 1848857195
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-15
• Publisher: Atlas Books

Summary

In 1923, when the pioneer of feminist activism, Huda Shaarawi, removed her veil in Cairo¿s train station, she created what became a landmark (and much?copied) gesture for feminists throughout Egypt and the Middle East and cemented her status as one of the most important feminists in twentieth?century Egypt. In Casting off the Veil, her granddaughter Sania Sharawi Lanfranchi uses never?before seen letters and photographs to explore the life and thought of Egypt¿s first feminist, as she campaigned against British occupation, as well as striving to improve conditions for women throughout the country. From her birth into a wealthy and powerful family, her early years spent in a harem, to her iconic status as one of the most influential feminists in Middle Eastern history, this is a fascinating portrait of a determined and groundbreaking woman, a rich and important story which will captivate everyone with an interest in Egyptian, feminist or colonial history.

Author Biography

Sania Sharawi Lanfranchi is a freelance translator, working with organisations as: the World Heath Organisation (WHO), the Library of Alexandria, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She holds postgraduate degrees in both English Literature and Arabic Literature from the American University in Cairo.