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Shahaama
Five Egyptian Men Tell Their Stories
Nayra Atiya
Foreword by Andrea Rugh
Afterword by Roger Allen
Cloth $49.95s
| 978-0-8156-3434-8
| 2016
Paper $19.95
| 978-0-8156-1061-8
| 2016
ebook 978-0-8156-5356-1
"Together, these stories provide deep insight into Egyptian culture,
especially the details of domestic and work life that few westerners
are able to access."—Pauline Kaldas, professor of English and creative writing, Hollins University
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Nayra Atiya is an American oral historian, writer, and translator born in Egypt. Her book
Khul-Khaal: Five Egyptian Women Tell Their Stories won a UNICEF prize in 1990 and has
been widely translated.
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Book Description »[Close »]
Between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Nayra Atiya gathered the oral
histories of five Egyptian men: a fisherman, an attorney, a scholar, a businessman,
and a production manager. Through personal interviews over the course
of several years, Atiya intimately captured the everyday triumphs and struggles
of these young men in a rapidly changing Egyptian society. These tender stories
of childhood experiences in the rural countryside, of the rigors of schooling,
and of the many challenges in navigating adulthood shed light on both the rich
diversity of Egyptian society and the values and traditions that are shared by all
Egyptians. The concept of shahaama—a code of honor that demands loyalty,
generosity, and a readiness to help others—is threaded throughout the narratives,
reflecting its deeply rooted presence in Egyptian culture. Moving beyond
leaden stereotypes of the oppressive Middle Eastern male, these candid selfportraits
reveal the complexity of male identity in contemporary Egyptian society,
highlighting the men—s desires for economically viable lives, the same desires
that fuel the many Egyptians today working toward revolutionary change.
View other series books on Contemporary Issues in the Middle East.
5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 184 pages
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