The Seventh International Awsa Conference

In May 2005 approximately two hundred men and women from four continents participated in a conference called Women, Creativity, and Dissidence that I convened in Cairo, Egypt, under the aegis of the Arab Women Solidarity Association (AWSA).1 One would not need to look far to find reasons for the necessity of such a global gathering at this juncture in transnational and global relations. Grave concerns about the deepening inequalities within, between, and among nations and the dissatisfaction, disaffection, and conflicts they provoke give pertinence and urgency to gatherings such as the Cairo conference. In this age of rapid information access and unprecedented global plunder and greed, women, men, and children all over the world are suffering from the effects of increasing economic exploitation; erosion of social and democratic rights; discrimination based on class, race, gender, color, and religion; and efforts by the media to misinform the public by mystifying and distorting current realities and future possibilities. The Cairo conference reflected the growing solidarity among women and between women and men by bringing together female and male activists, academicians, creative artists, researchers, cultural workers, and theorists. It highlighted the need to break down the barriers among women, between men and women, between academicians and activists, and between groups

Creativity · Democracy · Global citizenship · Human rights · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Solidarity · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Studies · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts