As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Elles Publishing House organized a lecture titled “Emotional Abuse in the Lives of Women Artists” with Dr. Aisha Abdel Karim, translator of the book “#Abuse: Your Guide to Understanding Emotional Relationships” published by Elles Publishing House.
The lecture addressed various forms of emotional abuse within relationships. Dr.Aisha Abdel Karim explained the concept of abuse, the characteristics of abusive individuals, and the notion of power over as a pattern of control within unequal relationships.
She also shed light on examples from the lives of women artists who experienced abuse, including Laila Mourad and Samia Ayoub, drawing on multiple references, among them Samia Ayoub’s memoirs.
The lecture further explored the story of dancer Emtithal Fawzi, who was killed in 1936 after refusing to pay “protection money,” a system imposed on dancers during the first half of the twentieth century. Her killing eventually led to the abolition of this system.
The session offered a historical and human-centered reading of the relationship between violence and power, and their impact on the personal and professional lives of women artists.
