Inserting women’s rights in the Egyptian constitution: personal reflections

Abstract

This article focuses on women’s rights in the Egyptian constitution, in light of the Egyptian constitutional tradition, the history of Egyptian feminist activism and in the context of the Egyptian revolution. The discussion mostly relies on personal experience and involvement in the process of Egyptian feminist activism towards the inclusion of women’s rights in the Egyptian constitution – a process that started in May 2011. The essay is divided into two parts: the first part looks at the Egyptian feminist movement in the light of Egyptian constitutional history. The second part discusses the form and process of gendering the constitution, and focuses on three main issues: the concept of a constitution as social contract, feminist agency and feminist efforts to include women’s rights in the 2014 Constitution. As a feminist, my discussion here is grounded in a personal/historical perspective that seeks to establish a continuum of women’s history within national history.