Soraya Musleh, a Brazilian researcher of Palestinian origin, receives a PhD in Arabic Studies from the University of Sao Paulo (USP) Brazil, with recommendations for publication. Her research thesis is entitled “The History of Palestinian Women: From Salon to the Beginning of Literary Resistance.”
The thesis, presented in Portuguese, examines the story of Palestinian women from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1960s, a period covering the main events that changed reality in Palestine, during which the heroic and historical Palestinian resistance manifested itself.
“Palestinian women have never been silent and will continue the historical and heroic struggle, like Shireen Abu Akleh, who was cowardly assassinated by the Zionists. She joined a group of journalists who were targeted by the occupation forces with cold blood, and we will not stop demanding justice for her, because this is justice for all of us,” Musleh was quoted as saying by Middle East Monitor (MEMO).
In an interview with Quds Press, Musleh said that through her thesis she wanted to tell an important aspect of Palestinian women’s history in order to dismantle the stereotype prevailing in the world that Arab women in general, and Palestinian women in particular, are submissive and not part of the public sphere.
Musleh spoke about the challenges she faced as she prepared her thesis, “It was not easy to find material translated into English and Spanish about Palestinian women, and even Arabs. There was not enough information on this topic due to the loss of references and documents because of the Nakba.”
“Therefore, I wanted my thesis to tell a more complete and realistic story about Palestinian women,” she concluded.
Musleh was born in Sao Paulo and graduated from the Faculty of Journalism. She later obtained a master’s degree in Arabic studies from the University of Sao Paulo. She is a member of the Brazilian Press Syndicate.
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