Master’s Thesis in the Department of Arabic Language Discusses Feminist Literature in Kerbala

A master’s thesis titled “Feminist Literature in Kerbala 1958-2003: A Study of its Themes and Artistic Characteristics” was discussed in the Department of Arabic Language at the College of Education for the Humanities, University of Kerbala. The thesis was authored by researcher Samira Mohammed Haider and supervised by Prof. Dr. Rafal Hassan Taha.

The significance of the thesis lies in highlighting the most important themes of feminist literature and its characteristics, which were the result of the work of female writers in Kerbala during the studied period. It explores the challenges faced by female poets and writers in a conservative society that holds special religious significance, as well as introducing feminist literature and its central themes and the representations of women within it.

The thesis consisted of two chapters:

• The first chapter focused on the thematic study, discussing the most important topics addressed by female poets.

• The second chapter presented an artistic study, examining key syntactic and semantic shifts in the texts.

The researcher reached several conclusions, among which were:

• Female writers in Kerbala managed to assert their presence, voice their demands for equality alongside men, and leave a lasting mark for future generations, despite the challenges they faced in discussing issues that primarily concerned them and, secondarily, their society.

• The unique nature of Kerbala’s society played a significant role in shaping their literary output, which was evident in both poetry and prose. It was found that many of the women initially wrote under pseudonyms, a practice that the researcher believed was due to the social constraints and realities they faced, forcing them to hide behind alternative identities.

The thesis defense committee consisted of:

• Prof. Dr. Abdul-Amir Matar, Member

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Zainab Ali Kazem, Member

• Dr. Abbas Ubaid Aliwi, Member

• Prof. Dr. Rafal Hassan Taha, Member and Supervisor