Papers by Sally Abed
Microtravel Confinement, Deceleration, Microspection, 2024
The paper discusses the attachment Lucy Duff Gordon forges between the Nile and her ailing body i... more The paper discusses the attachment Lucy Duff Gordon forges between the Nile and her ailing body in Letters from Egypt over the last few years of her life. It examines the reason of her stay most of the time in Egypt either on Nile boats or in a house that overlooks the Nile. Her chosen way to travel along with mythologizing the Nile determined a new perspective of herself and her surroundings that goes beyond the orientalising discourse of other contemporary travellers at the time.
Opera in Egypt, 2024
Opera has been an integral part of Egypt's cultural and artistic scene since the late 19th centur... more Opera has been an integral part of Egypt's cultural and artistic scene since the late 19th century, writes Sally Abed The Khedival Opera House Wadi Rum)y over... ShareFacebook X WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Now that all eyes are fixed on the Israeli war on Gaza, many artists are trying to portray the Palestinian call for liberation through different forms of art.
Al-Ahram Weekly, 2020
The article documents the social and political history of the historic gardens of Alexandria thro... more The article documents the social and political history of the historic gardens of Alexandria through examining the traveling postcards that feature those gardens and stories told about them.
Al-Ahram Weekly, 2020
The article documents the social and political history of Alexandria's historic gardens through e... more The article documents the social and political history of Alexandria's historic gardens through examining postcards of the gardens and stories told about them.
Ahram Weekly, 2023
The article focuses on the two journeys to Egypt undertaken by the Brazilian emperor in the 19th ... more The article focuses on the two journeys to Egypt undertaken by the Brazilian emperor in the 19th century and his description of the country.
Al-Ahram Weekly , 2022
Egypt's National Civil Aviation Day, marking the first successful flight of Egyptian pilot Mohame... more Egypt's National Civil Aviation Day, marking the first successful flight of Egyptian pilot Mohamed Sedki from Berlin to Cairo in 1930. Sedki's success and earlier attempts earned the support of former king Fouad, always interested in supporting exploration and discoveries whether in the air or on land. But how much do we know today about these attempts and of the Egyptian pioneers who courageously flew these planes, sometimes risking their lives? The successful attempt by Sedki in January 1930 to fly from Europe to Egypt was preceded by other unforgettable attempts.
Globalism in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age, 2023
Al-Hasan al-Wazzan, better known as Leo Africanus, was a sixteenth-century Andalusian diplomat, w... more Al-Hasan al-Wazzan, better known as Leo Africanus, was a sixteenth-century Andalusian diplomat, who moved with his family to Fez, Morocco, after the Spanish Reconquista was completed in 1492. On a diplomatic mission for the Sultan of Fez, he was kidnapped by corsairs near the island of Djerba (off the coast of Tunisia) and presented as a gift to Pope Leo X in Rome. There, he converted to Christianity, was named Leo after the Pope's name, and wrote his Description of Africa (1526) for a Western audience while in captivity. In his work, he reintroduced an Africa to his audience that runs counter to their long-held assumptions. Leo Africanus's account assumed a global aspect throughout the different translations. In 1600, John Pory, an English administrator and traveler, translated Africanus's work into English, which remains the only English translation until today. This paper mainly examines the additions Pory made to his translation, as well as the way in which he introduced both text and author to the English audience at the beginning of his book. Pory's interpolations and address to the reader underscore questions of identity, lineage, and ways of charting and imagining the world and its inhabitants in early modern England.
Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age, Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture, De Gruyter, 2019
The paper examines the dual performance of Scheherazad and her sister in the fictional Nights in ... more The paper examines the dual performance of Scheherazad and her sister in the fictional Nights in light of the real performances carried out by female performers in the public and private sphere in medieval Arab culture.
Incarceration and Slavery in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age, 2021
The paper explores the tension between Mamluk Sultans, theologians, and the local population in E... more The paper explores the tension between Mamluk Sultans, theologians, and the local population in Egypt as the Mamluks try to establish their rule through various political, architectural, and artistic strategies. The paper looks at the trajectory of resistance that starts with the decision of one theologian to sell Mamluk princes publicly since they are not free, and continues in many different incidents, especially during the reign of Baybars.
Utah Foreign Language Review, Mar 4, 2014
In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, ... more In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, I argue in my article entitled "From Feet to Wings: The Importance of Being Bare-Footed in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon" that in her use of the shoe motif, Morrison departs from many Western folktales where more often than not shoes entail power and transformation. Morrison's subversion of the shoe metaphor underlines the magical and transformative power her characters become endowed with once they step out of their shoes. This becomes significant since when feet become liberated from shoes, characters like Pilate and Milkman-who I focus onlearn how to sing and learn how to redraw the physical map of their ancestors. As a result, their bare feet transform into wings and they fly. The theoretical frameworks I draw upon in my article are Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the chronotope, Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject and Freud's analysis of the sexual significance of shoes and flight. These theoretical frameworks combined highlight the inseparable connection between shoes, maps, and flight. Space, time, and the self converge with the result of offering a new perspective. Shoes, I maintain, represent space and largely inform gender and identity throughout the novel. Critics writing on Morrison's novel focus separately on the metaphors of shoes, flight, and singing. What my article offers is a comprehensive view that connects these motifs together in conjunction to maps. My paper also traces the transformation from feet to wings and examines it against the background of the western tradition. Thus, my article brings a new reading to Morrison's Song of Solomon in particular and to African American literature in general that synthesizes several motifs previously considered separately, and adds a new dimension to the gendering of space. * I would like to express my thanks to Professor Guevara for her incisive comments, continuous encouragement, and her helpful feedback during the writing process. I would also like to extend my thanks to my esteemed colleague Allan Reiser on the Comparative Literature Program for referring me to Kelly Link's book Stranger Things Happen and for his insightful remarks, especially on maps, during our discussion of the paper.
Utah Foreign Language Review, Mar 4, 2014
In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, ... more In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, I argue in my article entitled "From Feet to Wings: The Importance of Being Bare-Footed in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon" that in her use of the shoe motif, Morrison departs from many Western folktales where more often than not shoes entail power and transformation. Morrison's subversion of the shoe metaphor underlines the magical and transformative power her characters become endowed with once they step out of their shoes. This becomes significant since when feet become liberated from shoes, characters like Pilate and Milkman-who I focus onlearn how to sing and learn how to redraw the physical map of their ancestors. As a result, their bare feet transform into wings and they fly. The theoretical frameworks I draw upon in my article are Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the chronotope, Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject and Freud's analysis of the sexual significance of shoes and flight. These theoretical frameworks combined highlight the inseparable connection between shoes, maps, and flight. Space, time, and the self converge with the result of offering a new perspective. Shoes, I maintain, represent space and largely inform gender and identity throughout the novel. Critics writing on Morrison's novel focus separately on the metaphors of shoes, flight, and singing. What my article offers is a comprehensive view that connects these motifs together in conjunction to maps. My paper also traces the transformation from feet to wings and examines it against the background of the western tradition. Thus, my article brings a new reading to Morrison's Song of Solomon in particular and to African American literature in general that synthesizes several motifs previously considered separately, and adds a new dimension to the gendering of space. * I would like to express my thanks to Professor Guevara for her incisive comments, continuous encouragement, and her helpful feedback during the writing process. I would also like to extend my thanks to my esteemed colleague Allan Reiser on the Comparative Literature Program for referring me to Kelly Link's book Stranger Things Happen and for his insightful remarks, especially on maps, during our discussion of the paper.
Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 2020
Al-Masaq Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean 27, 2016), 277-278., 2016
Utah Foreign Language Review 2013), 55-72., 2013
In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, ... more In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses the motif of shoes repetitively. Based on this, I argue in my article entitled "From Feet to Wings: The Importance of Being Bare-Footed in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon" that in her use of the shoe motif, Morrison departs from many Western folktales where more often than not shoes entail power and transformation. Morrison's subversion of the shoe metaphor underlines the magical and transformative power her characters become endowed with once they step out of their shoes. This becomes significant since when feet become liberated from shoes, characters like Pilate and Milkman-who I focus onlearn how to sing and learn how to redraw the physical map of their ancestors. As a result, their bare feet transform into wings and they fly. The theoretical frameworks I draw upon in my article are Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the chronotope, Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject and Freud's analysis of the sexual significance of shoes and flight. These theoretical frameworks combined highlight the inseparable connection between shoes, maps, and flight. Space, time, and the self converge with the result of offering a new perspective. Shoes, I maintain, represent space and largely inform gender and identity throughout the novel. Critics writing on Morrison's novel focus separately on the metaphors of shoes, flight, and singing. What my article offers is a comprehensive view that connects these motifs together in conjunction to maps. My paper also traces the transformation from feet to wings and examines it against the background of the western tradition. Thus, my article brings a new reading to Morrison's Song of Solomon in particular and to African American literature in general that synthesizes several motifs previously considered separately, and adds a new dimension to the gendering of space.
Imagination, Fantasy, Otherness, and Monstrosity in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern World, ed. Albrecht Classen. Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture, Vol.24 , 2020
The papers examines the depiction of monsters in both Mandeville's Travels & Abu Hamid al-Gharnat... more The papers examines the depiction of monsters in both Mandeville's Travels & Abu Hamid al-Gharnati's Tuhfat al-Albab. The comparative approach aims at understanding the concept of monstrosity within Arab & Western contexts.
The Once and Future Classroom, Special Issue on Teaching Medieval Arabic Studies Volume XIV, Issue 1 fall 2017), 53-68., 2017
The One Thousand and One Nights usually evokes a world of pointed shoes, flying carpets, magical ... more The One Thousand and One Nights usually evokes a world of pointed shoes, flying carpets, magical lamps, despotism, female oppression, eroticism, exoticism, and orientalism for Western students to whom I taught excerpts of the tales. This piece is, therefore, an account of my experience teaching the One Thousand and One Nights outside its Arab context and into the Western context through the medium of translation. I taught the text in two different
Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age, ed. Albrecht Classen. Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture, Vol.23, 2019
The article examines the dual performance by Scheherazade and her sister in the Nights against th... more The article examines the dual performance by Scheherazade and her sister in the Nights against the background of medieval female performers, both in medieval Arab reality & the fictional world of the Nights.
("On the Road Again . . ..": Time, Space, and Identity in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age, ed. Albrecht Classen, Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture, Vol.22 , 2018
The paper examines the discourse of cleanliness and cultural significance of water in Ibn Fadlan'... more The paper examines the discourse of cleanliness and cultural significance of water in Ibn Fadlan's Risalah. It also looks at the relationship between water and identity formation for Ibn Fadlan.
Book Reviews by Sally Abed
The Medieval Review , 2018
Uploads
Papers by Sally Abed
Book Reviews by Sally Abed