By CARROLL L. JOHNSON
In the face of adversity, Arab women have shaped their world by preserving social ties, family loyalties, cultural values and intellectual standards. But the real quest for social change must come from within oneself, according to Professor Leila Fawaz, chair of the Department of History at Tufts University.
"It is only in America that we can even talk about social change and the role of Arab women in it; in other words, this could have been a short lecture but it is not," said Dr. Fawaz on June 8 in her lecture "The Role of Arab Women in Social Change."
The lecture is one in a series that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Library of Congress's Near East Section (see LC Information Bulletin, July 10, 1995).
Dr. Fawaz's lecture is part of the Near East Section's effort to bring scholars to the Library to assess the scholarship relating to this critical part of the world, said George N. Atiyeh, head of the Near East Section.
Dr. Fawaz has written extensively about Middle Eastern affairs, particularly the history of Lebanon. Since 1983 she has been teaching at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Dr. Fawaz was the editor of The International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (1989-1994) and the series The History of Society of the Modern Middle East, published by Columbia University Press.
In her lecture, Dr. Fawaz told how wars and other conflicts in the region have set Arab women back socially.
"Despite all the political disasters of this century, social change has occurred, but it is a mixed bag," said Dr. Fawaz.
"Everybody has suffered because of war -- men, women, children and the elderly, but men have an opportunity to shine in a war while women have to endure and suffer," said Dr. Fawaz. "What took a few hours to do before a war now takes all day during the war. A simple phone call is a challenge. How can one worry about social change when they can't even make a phone call?" she said.
"Education is one of the few hopes that women have for the future," said Dr. Fawaz. This is why women must struggle to send their children to school despite political conflicts.
According to Dr. Fawaz, "In the culture of war, so typical of our society, to go on day in and day out preserving the small habits that make daily life what it is, I find this admirable. Routine and normalcy are precious acts, which many take for granted."
Arab women have used other means to make their voices heard: Writers, artists and poets have denounced violence, and activists have organized demonstrations and sit-ins, while others have joined women's organizations in the United States and elsewhere.
According to Dr. Fawaz, the feminist movement in the Arab world has helped make it possible for women to become doctors, lawyers, educators, land owners, engineers, journalists and business executives. However, laws still limit certain activities of women, including where they travel, how they dress and whom they marry. Ultimately, said Dr. Fawaz, "Until women can change the aspects of their lives that they do control, then they cannot expect to change the world in which they live.
"Much remains to be done."
Carroll Johnson is a communications specialist in Cultural Affairs.