New Publication: WOMEN`S POLITICAL BIOGRAPHIES IN THE MENAT REGION

Viola Raheb and Heidemarie Winkel (editors):

Women's Political Biographies in the MENAT Region

At the end of the conference held at the Bruno Kreisky Forum in November 2023, titled „Women’s lives and agency in the MENAT Region - between political activism and realism“, women from various countries and backgrounds were invited to illuminate their contexts, socio-economic and political developments, and violence – particularly gender-based violence – during wartime and its impact on women’s lives, engagement, and agency. With the rise of populism and reactionary movements, women's rights appear to necessitate renegotiation. As a consequence of polarisation and ambivalence, listening to and understanding women from the MENAT region is becoming less important.
In many Western countries, a dominant perception of the lives and work of women in the MENAT region prevails, and a knowledge deficit compared to other regions of the world, e.g. Latin America, still exists. The book aims to give female political actors from the region a face and a name by using biographical essays as a method of knowledge production and awareness-raising, while promoting synergies and advocating the need for networking and cooperation.

„This book presents eleven biographies from seven different countries, featuring individuals from diverse generations, backgrounds, and areas of engagement. In their biographies, the contributors delve into the political developments of their countries and the region over recent decades. Historical political phases, such as the end of colonial rule and the ensuing period of independence in Tunisia, the era of Ba'athist rule and the war in Syria, or the Palestinian Nakba of 1948 and the ongoing wars and displacement of Palestinians, are embodied in the lives of the women narrators and how these phases have shaped and continue to shape their lives and work.” Viola Raheb, Co-Editor