User:73.140.109.34/gap analysis

Gap analysis

 * What is the title of the article in which you identified a gap. If no article exists at all, what should the title be?

Feminist Art Movement of Egypt


 * Document the gap you found, describe how you identified it, and analyze its impact on knowledge.

Going into this project, I knew that I wanted to focus on Egyptian feminist artists. I started researching several feminist artists from Egypt and came across a gap in each of their Wikipedia pages. I then realized that it wasn't any specific artist from Egypt that had gaps, but the topic of Egyptian feminist art in general. Egypt is a country in Africa, so it could be assumed that Egypt would be included in a page dedicated to all of Africa's feminist artists, but there isn't even a Wikipedia page for African feminist artists. There is, however, a Wikipedia page for feminist art movements in the United States, which I guess isn't all that surprising. But it is surprising that just the United States, rather than all of North America, gets a page when the second-largest continent on earth, home of plenty of feminist art history, doesn't even get a mention. I decided then that I wanted to create a page to represent at least a small part of African feminist art, so I stuck with my earlier desire to research Egyptian feminist artists. I am proposing the creation of a Wikipedia page dedicated to Egyptian art movements, just as the United States has a page dedicated to theirs. Below I have written for a possible section on a more modern version of feminist art in Egypt entitled "Street Art."


 * Propose a paragraph of new or substantially edited content based on reliable sources. (If you are editing existing content, post the current version along with your edited version, and clearly mark which is which.)

Street Art

Feminist graffiti in Egypt began as a way to support an uprising in 2011 known as the Arab Spring. Artists were able to show the history of an oppressive culture and reach a broad audience by “[reclaiming] public space.” The earliest themes of Egyptian street art, following the resignation of President Mubarak, were commemorations for Egyptians that were killed by security forces, as well as the violence that in general took place during this time. As confrontations and demonstrations became increasingly violent, the graffiti and images only got harsher.

The Girl in the Blue Bra

Full Article Here

In November of 2012, a woman was “dragged, beaten, and stamped on” by Cairo soldiers. The brutality of the beating allowed for the woman’s abaya to come undone, exposing her jeans, stomach, and blue bra. The woman was named the Girl in the Blue Bra, and her story was told by several international broadcasting companies, including CNN.

Graffiti was created by Bahia Shehab portraying several blue bras to symbolize the violence. The art also reads “No to the stripping of people” and “Long live the revolution.” The Girl in the Blue Bra is said to represent “the struggle for life, freedom, and social justice.”

Women On Walls

Full Article Here

Women On Walls (WOW) is a project started by Mia Grondahl and Angie Balata that stands for women’s rights and empowerment, and it articulates this belief through street art. Since its start in 2012, WOW has covered topics such as women’s ability to give birth and how they are “not machines” because of this ability. This particular art piece calls for the viewers to “think before [they] bring more kids into this life.” WOW, as described by Nada Barakat, “stands out from other graffiti movements because it empowers women by portraying their messages, and it also helps young female artists and designers to be part of the streets arts movement.”


 * List the reliable sources that could be used to improve this gap. (You can use the Cite tool from the editing toolbar above to input and format your sources.)


 * MORAYEF, SORAYA. "Women in Egypt through the Narrative of Graffiti." Atlantic Council. 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. < http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/egyptsource/women-in-egypt-through-the-narrative-of-graffiti >.
 * Coleman, Isobel. "'Blue Bra Girl' Rallies Egypt's Women vs. Oppression - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. < http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/22/opinion/coleman-women-egypt-protest/ >.
 * Barakat, Nada. "Women on Walls." - Al-Ahram Weekly. 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. < http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/5610/30/Women-on-walls.aspx >.
 * Tripp, Charles. "Art of the Uprisings in the Middle East". Brown Journal of World Affairs. 19 (2) 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.
 * Khalil, Nama. "Blue Bra Graffiti (Bahia Shehab)." Design and Violence. 03 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. < http://designandviolence.moma.org/blue-bra-graffiti-bahia-shehab/ >.