Book Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, Yasmine Nachabe Taan, Bahia Shehab, Soukeina Hachem

Revealin Recording Reflecting

Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa

“Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa is a unique intervention to further subvert the canon that has largely excluded the “other” from modern innovations. […] This book is an excellent addition to scholarship in the field of modern art and design in the Middle East, and gender and women studies, as well as global modernism. The project specifically fills a wide gap in the literature and information about Arab women designers and their contributions in the region and the larger context of design history.”— Nada Shabout, Regents Professor of Art History, and Coordinator of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas.

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Since the 1950s, women designers in the SWANA region have had a shy presence in the discourses on design and visual culture—specially in comparison with their male contemporaries. In response to the growing “global” interest in discovering alternative histories beyond the renowned and predominantly Euro-centric (and male-centric) narrative, and going beyond the interest of the young generation of designers from the region in archiving and documenting regional design history, this research-based book focuses strictly on the work and stories of graphic women (graphic designers, illustrators, calligraphers, and typographers) from the region. It sets out to assemble and record, through critical writing, testimonials, primary documents, and art works, in order to help establish a foundation of women role models, and to inform the design and research community at large about the wealth and social significance of their contribution.

This book raises questions, presents raw information, and invites further research and discussions around the position of graphic women from SWANA within the context of contemporary global design histories. It is neither complete, nor objective, nor authoritative, nor does it provide neat answers to complex issues. Instead, it aims for inclusivity and does not shy away from vulnerability. The multiple narratives and the diversity of topics, voices, and works presented between the covers of this book will inspire the younger generations of graphic women regardless of their geographical or ethnic affiliations. Through new insights and authentic first-person narratives, it aims to point the historical discourse in the right direction, and to instigate further critical research that enriches the canon of studies on design and visual culture from the SWANA region.

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To browse through the book or to order your copy online, please visit the Khatt Books site


Revealing Recording Reflecting
Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa
Authors/Editors: Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares, Yasmine Nachabe Taan, Bahia Shehab, Soukeina Hachem
Publisher: Khatt Books, Amsterdam, 2025
ISBN 978-94-90939-33-5
Edition: 640 p, ills colour, 15 x 20 cm, Hardback, English
Price: €50,00