A "New Woman" was announced in Egypt at the turn of the nineteenth century. With a new genre of prescriptive literature, new products, a new education, and a physically changed home, she increasingly emerged in public life. This book discusses and debates the place of Egyptian women, while focusing on consumerism and education. Russell sheds much-needed light on the struggle for identity in Egypt at a time of considerable flux and tension and provides a powerful angle to explore changing concepts of social dynamics and broader debates of what it meant to be "modern" while retaining local authenticity.

This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra--women who ruled with real power--and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today. Female rulers are a rare phenomenon--but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example? Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages, and why we should care.

The history of ancient Egypt is filled with fascinating queens and goddesses portrayed side by side with their male counterparts as equal partners, each playing a different and distinct role in society. Anyone interested in their identity and achievements can go to popular or academic sources, and find ample material on the subject. How about their descendants: contemporary Egyptian women? Who are they? What do we know about them, or about their accomplishments? Only scarce and limited information is available. In recent years, however, since the ill-named “Arab Spring,” images of Egyptian women have flooded TV screens and print media showing them among crowds of shouting demonstrators. Reports have focused on their trials and tribulations, and their regressive condition. This book seeks to highlight Egyptian women that the media have overlooked and ignored. It focuses on a sample of 38 pioneers, ground-breakers, and achievers in nearly all professions: academe, the arts, banking, development, diplomacy, economics, engineering, entrepreneurship, finance, government, medicine, public relations, science and technology, social services, sports, international relations, and international organizations. Their successes in Egypt and elsewhere have been recognized and honored by some of the highest national and international institutions and governments. Forgotten or unknown habits, practices, and historical events occurring in the twentieth century, both in Egypt and other parts of the globe, are also discussed in these stories. The objective of the book is three-pronged. It breaks the monolithic and unflattering stereotype of contemporary Egyptian women as victims, uneducated and uncivilized, dominated by men. The second is to make the world aware of modern Egyptian champions who are improving the quality of life in the societies and broader environments in which they live and work. The third purpose is to provide positive role models for new generations of women in Egypt and beyond, to inspire them to set their goals very high despite the obstacles they may encounter, and show them that the sky is not the limit.

Following the experiences of Nebetiunet - an Egyptian mother and wife living in the holy city of Waset (Thebes) during the fifth year of the reign of Ramesses II - Egyptian Woman offers a fascinating insight into a year in her busy and remarkable life. When Nebet was orphaned at the age of ten, she was taken into the household of her Uncle Nebneteru in Thebes and was established as an apprentice seamstress in the linen workshop of the great Temple of Amen-Ra. She later married a young scribe, Amenmose, and had six children in the first nine years of her marriage. Now, with a household to run, servants to manage, a husband and family to care for, and a highly responsible job to do, Nebetiunet's hardworking life is never without incident. From the inundation of the Nile at the start of the year, through the winter and summer months, we share in the many highs and lows encompassing birth, death, marriage, war, work and education, all experienced by Nebetiunet and her close family and friends. Described in vivid and accurate detail, Egyptian Woman provides an absorbing fictional account of a year in the life of an exceptional woman in ancient Egypt.

Presents information on how women lived in ancient Egypt, discussing their education, family life, and fashion.

“A portrait of growing up in America, and a portrait of family, that pulls off the feat of being both intimately specific and deeply universal at the same time. I adored this book.”—Jonny Sun “[A] high-spirited graphical memoir . . . Gharib’s wisdom about the power and limits of racial identity is evident in the way she draws.”—NPR WINNER OF THE ARAB AMERICAN BOOK AWARD • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews I Was Their American Dream is at once a coming-of-age story and a reminder of the thousands of immigrants who come to America in search for a better life for themselves and their children. The daughter of parents with unfulfilled dreams themselves, Malaka navigated her childhood chasing her parents' ideals, learning to code-switch between her family's Filipino and Egyptian customs, adapting to white culture to fit in, crushing on skater boys, and trying to understand the tension between holding onto cultural values and trying to be an all-American kid. Malaka Gharib's triumphant graphic memoir brings to life her teenage antics and illuminates earnest questions about identity and culture, while providing thoughtful insight into the lives of modern immigrants and the generation of millennial children they raised. Malaka's story is a heartfelt tribute to the American immigrants who have invested their future in the promise of the American dream. Praise for I Was Their American Dream “In this time when immigration is such a hot topic, Malaka Gharib puts an engaging human face on the issue. . . . The push and pull first-generation kids feel is portrayed with humor and love, especially humor. . . . Gharib pokes fun at all of the cultures she lives in, able to see each of them with an outsider’s wry eye, while appreciating them with an insider’s close experience. . . . The question of ‘What are you?’ has never been answered with so much charm.”—Marissa Moss, New York Journal of Books “Forthright and funny, Gharib fiercely claims her own American dream.”—Booklist “Thoughtful and relatable, this touching account should be shared across generations.”– Library Journal “This charming graphic memoir riffs on the joys and challenges of developing a unique ethnic identity.”– Publishers Weekly