The Curiosity of Arab Women

Amal Awad was tired of seeing books that explored the lives of Arab women from a western perspective. She set out to interview women of Arab heritage from both the Middle East and in Australia, as a Palestinian-Australian woman herself.

Amal Awad talks about the fascination with Arab women and their lives; the misconceptions that abound; and how Arab women respond in her upcoming book, Beyond Veiled Clichés – The Real Lives of Arab Women.

Topics Covered

• The clichés about Arabs
• The popular images of Arab women in popular culture media and literature
• The exoticisation of Arab women – and their repression
• Arab women talk about themselves
• Primary themes of the book
• How Arab women differ in Australia to the Arab world 'East verses West'