Spring 2021, CairoThematic Course
Good Feminist, Bad Feminist, Happy Feminist
Course details
- Cycle
- Spring 2021, Cairo
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Format
- Hybrid
- Taught in
- English
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About the course
Considering pleasure as both a fundamental right and a form of activism, the course 'Good Feminist, Bad Feminist, Happy Feminist' is inspired by adrienne maree brown’s book Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good . Using the framework presented in the book, together, we will wonder and discuss what it means to feel satisfied and content under systems of oppression, and how we can make feminism a fulfilling and pleasurable act of justice. Each week, we will discuss a different theme, including anger, profanity, intimacy, and witchcraft. These themes are designed to assemble a toolbox that guide one through their journey to become a pleasure activist. Within the context of the current patriarchal, capitalist, ableist systems we live in, this course rejects pain as ‘a natural/normal woman experience.’ Instead, it hopes to move us a step closer towards feeling and healing, and - to quote adrienne maree brown - “being life moving towards life,” all the while manifesting the joyful, accountable, feminist movements and futures we envision.
Who teaches it
Mariam DIEFALLAH is a feminist doula, childbirth educator, and writer. She is a strong advocate for better sexual and reproductive health and rights for women in the MENA region, and a passionate believer in pleasure as a form of activism. In her free time, Mariam is either dancing, cuddling with her three cats, or pretending to study Spanish. You can follow her on Instagram @mariamdiefallah
Course flow
Sessions without a date
- Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling GoodExcerpts. adrienne maree brown
- The Uses of AngerAudre Lorde
- What Happened to HerKristy Guevara-Flanagan
- The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and GirlsExcerpts. Mona El Tahawy
In class
- ExerciseEXERCISE I
- NiswaGuest speaker: Zainab Alradhi, Founder of Niswa
In class
- PresentationGuest Speaker: Zainab Alradhi, Founder of Niswa
- Uses of the EroticAudre Lorde
- The Trap of Ideal MotherhoodImene Amara
- YourEgyptianDoulaGuest speaker: Merette Khalil, Founder of YourEgyptianDoula
In class
- PresentationGuest Speaker: Merette Khalil, Founder of YourEgyptianDoula
- ExerciseEXERCISE II
- All About LoveExcerpts. Bell Hooks
- نساء على أجنحة الحلمExcerpts. لفاطمة المرنيسي
- Camera/WomanKarima Zoubir
- The Three Disappearances of Suad HosniRania Stephan
- Corpus: A Home Video about SelenaLourdes Portillo
- The Flexible Work FallacySarah Stoller, aeon
- Meaningful WorkExcerpts. Andrea Veltman
In class
- ExerciseEXERCISE III
- White Paper on Prostitution and Poverty
- Fuck You Pay MeChanelle Gallant
- Female Hysteria, Invisibilized Labour, and the Kafala SystemYasmine Kherfi
- و في الليل يرقصنIsabelle Lavigne and Stephane Thibault
- Night Cries, Nice Colored GirlsTracey Moffat
- The Gleaners & IAgnes Varda
- Cindy ShermanExcerpts. Ingvild Goetz
In class
- ActivityASSIGNMENT I
- The Transformation of Silence into Language and ActionAudre Lorde
- Silence and Institutional PrejudiceMiranda Fricker
- Witches, Witch-hunting, and WomenExcerpts. Silvia Federici
- Parable of the SowerExcerpts. Octavia Butler
- Hammam RadioConversation with/on Hammam Radio (details to be confirmed later)
In class
- DiscussionConversation with/on Hammam Radio (details to be confirmed later)
In class
- ActivityASSIGNMENT II
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18 October 2026
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