"Establishing the Women’s Club to Assert Their Existence": Syrian Women’s Activism and Spaces in 1918–20

When Mary Ajami wrote an article in her al-Arus (The Bride) magazine in January of 1919 to announce the establishment of the Women’s Literary Club in Damascus by Nazik ‘Abid, she praised Abid’s initiative to “awaken the mettle of women and spread literature among them.” She then explained how “establishing the women’s club” was important for Syrian women “to assert themselves” among men in national affairs. Ajami’s short article underscores how little we know about Syrian women’s spatial activism during the brief quasi-independence of Syria under the rule of King Faysal (1918-1920). Arab Middle Eastern women’s activism has often been portrayed as the manifestation of Western feminism and influence, and Syrian women’s activism is no exception. But as the discourses in women’s magazines show, Syrian women established spaces to participate in the national struggle against the colonial threat. While historians have begun to reconstruct the experiences of Syrian activists in the twentieth century, we still know very little about women’s activism and spaces during the reign of Faysal. Following the work of Elizabeth Thompson and Elizabeth Williams, this paper explores the activism of Mary Ajami and Nazik ‘Abid and their contribution to women’s spatial opportunities in the first part of the twentieth century. It will do so by supplementing the archival sources with spatial analysis, such as examining Ajami and Abid’s women’s magazines, clubs, schools, and charity organizations. It will pay special attention to nationalism, women’s rights, modernity, tradition, class, and transnational networks. In doing so, this paper shows that centering the spatial activism of Syrian women directly challenges the Western portrayals of Arab women as passive and voiceless.