An eastern feminist perspective on the ‘woman question’: the activity, thought and writing of ‘A‘isha Taymur & Malak Hifni Nasif

Abstract

ABSTRACT In nineteenth-century Egypt, the ‘Women Question’ reflected a battle over the cultural content of the nation in the production of a ‘New Woman’. Eastern feminists were entangled in the complexities of colonial and local discourses on women. ‘A‘isha Taymur & Malak Nasif engaged in discussions and debates with male-counterparts on these. Their thought centered on ushering new ways of thinking through the formation of an alternative Eastern feminist project that retained indigeneity and benefited from universal tendencies. They offered their own interpretations, and expressed the viability of multiple notions/discourses and complex realities in the formation of a new woman.