The Women’s and Gender Studies program hosted a screening of the documentary, Trials of Spring, Wed., March 1 in the Life Sciences building, followed by a short but engaging discussion with Dr. Genevieve Meyers, Political Science Department, and Dr. Reem Abou-Samra, Religious Studies Department.
The documentary focused on the lives of three Egyptian women who fought for freedom and justice in Egypt’s Arab Spring and shed light on the human rights abuses committed during that time. Dr. Abou-Samra emphasized that the women’s efforts highlighted in the film are part of a tradition of women’s movements in Egypt dating back to the 1860s. She pointed out that one major difference between past movements and the Arab Spring is the role that cyber activism played in organizing the protests 10 years ago, and that the internet continues to enable Egyptians to speak out against oppression in a culture of political silence. Dr. Meyers reminded attendees that except for in Tunisia, the anti-government protests of the early 2010s in the Arab World, have largely failed.
If you missed the screening but would still like to see Trials of Spring, you can stream it via the Library’s Kanopy database using your Detroit Mercy username and password. If you need help accessing it, contact a librarian.