Negotiating space: Egyptian feminist art activism for social justice

There is a significant gap in both academic and popular literature that examines the active role of Egyptian feminist art activists. Through examining Egyptian feminist art activists in the 1952 and 2011 revolutions, this thesis shows how art activism works as a counter-hegemonic strategy against cultural and state hegemony in Egypt. The thesis draws from the work of four feminist art activists for the 1952 revolution and three feminist art activists as well as members of the NoonNeswa (2012) and Women on the Walls (2013) graffiti projects for the 2011 revolution. The study poses the following questions: Has the role of Egyptian feminist activists changed over time? How did art activism and visual feminism challenge the established notions of gender roles and gender identity in Egypt? How did feminists in Egypt forge a space for voice and political change, and how did they negotiate with institutionalized power?

Drawing from theories such as Cultural Hegemony (Gramsci 1971; 1984), and the Feminist scholarship of Fraser (1990), Mouffe (2001), Young (1985), Benhabib (1996) that are rooted in Habermas (1984, 1987, 1989) Communicative Action Theory, and Foucauldian (1971) methodology based on his analysis of power and knowledge, I argue that Egyptian feminist art activists, in both revolutions, functioned as organic intellectuals, agents of democracy and social justice, and commentators in the Egyptian public spaces. They have performed the role of activists, archivists, and archaeologists of the revolutions. Contrasting the dominating, hegemonic discourses that existed in their times, they created counter- hegemonic discourses through their art to build bridges between the multiplicity of public spaces within the Egyptian public sphere.

However, they performed their role differently in each of the revolutions. They triumphed in contributing to the creation of a new historical bloc or alliances within society to cause a radical change in 2011; however, they were not as successful in 1952 due to the brutal coercion strategies applied by the state and their fear of allowing back the old colonial regime.