Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Modern Approaches in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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Women and the Politics of Cultural Memory in North Africa: Gendered Histories, Erasures, and Contemporary Struggles
Dr. Wafaa TALEB
ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the gendered politics of cultural memory in North Africa, focusing on how women’s histories, experiences, and struggles have been marginalized, erased, and contested in postcolonial narratives. Drawing on case studies from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, it examines the intersection of gender, memory, and political power in shaping the historical and contemporary realities of North African women. The study highlights how state violence, colonial legacies, and patriarchal structures have systematically silenced women’s voices, relegating their contributions to national struggles and social movements to the periphery of official historiography. Using feminist and postcolonial theoretical frameworks, the paper analyzes how women have resisted these erasures through oral histories, artistic expressions, and digital activism. It also interrogates the role of archives, cultural representations, and state policies in constructing hegemonic memory that excludes women’s narratives. By foregrounding women’s agency in reclaiming cultural memory, this research contributes to broader discussions on memory politics, intersectionality, and the role of gender in historical representation. Ultimately, it advocates for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to North African historiography that acknowledges and centers women’s lived experiences and struggles.
keywords: Cultural Memory, Gendered Histories, Erasure, North Africa, Feminist Resistance