Visualizing Arab Women’s Writings in the Mahjar

This project was written by Elizabeth Claire Saylor, Visiting Assistant Professor, Middlebury College; and compiled by: Marjorie Stevens, Senior Researcher, Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

Between 1880 and 1914, roughly one third of the total population of Greater Syria emigrated to Egypt and North and South America, or the mahjar (Khater, Inventing Home, 8). During the same period, Syrian and Lebanese women in various diasporic communities emerged as leading figures of the Arabic literary and cultural renaissance, or the nahḍa.

 As novelists, poets, playwrights, and essayists, and as founders of influential literary salons, women’s organizations, and the very first Arab women’s periodicals, women from Greater Syria were key contributors to the Arabic literary awakening.

Despite their notable contributions to literature, journalism, and feminism, these women and their writings have been largely overlooked. By turning the spotlight on the work of pioneering mahjar women authors, this project aims to document the literary and journalistic accomplishments of Arab women writers scattered throughout the diaspora.

To learn more about the project and see the map visit Mapping Women Writers in the Mahjar.