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Title	The American College for girls, Cairo, Egypt: its history and influence on egyptian women a study of selected graduates
Publication Type	dissertation
School or College	College of Education
Department	Educational Studies
Author	Sproul, Christine
Date	1982
Description	This dissertation examines the history of American College for Girls (ACG) in Cairo, Egypt. Founded by the American Presbyterian Mission in 1909, this school played a unique role in the history of women's education in Egypt. The school was established to educate the daughters of "the landowning, professional, and governing classes of Egyptian society" at a time when there were few educational opportunities for girls. With its junior college program, ACG represented the highest educational standard for Egyptian girls at the time. There were no government secondary schools, and only three hundred Egyptian girls were attending foreign or private secondary school s. American College for Girls quickly gained a reputation for quality education and moral character development. The school reflected an American style and philosophy of education, stressing a broad, practical knowledge base. Extra-curricular activities and student government stressed leadership and organizational skills. The school also emphasized a motto of service, encouraging social welfare work. There was a democratic and friendly interaction between students and teachers seldom found in other schools. Many of the teachers were American missionaries who lived at the school during their three and four year terms. The study looks at some of the social and political factors influencing the school and examines the period of nationalization and later the school name change in 1967. Since that date, the school has been named Ramses College for Girls. Today its reputation rests upon its excellent academic performance although much of the former curriculum and emphasis on activities has been modified in response to societal trends and pressures. The twentieth century has seen rapid social changes for Egyptian women. Many ACG graduates hold reputations as pioneers in the Eygptian women's movement. This study examines the position of women in twentieth century Egypt and details the role certain ACG graduates played in pioneering social welfare work, educational advances, and career opportunities for women. Thirty graduates from the 1919-1969 period were interviewed. Their biographies are included in this study, detailing their particular contributions to the changing society and their perceptions of the influences and decision points in their lives. One cannot conclude that these women accomplished what they did because of their ACG education. Many other factors including family background, parental guidance, social connections, university training, individual mentors, personal motivation, talent and determination, societal and legal changes, circumstances and luck contributed. Yet, the education at ACG was certainly an important part in their contributions to Egyptian society. The vision and spirit of this school and the contributions of its graduates deserve to be recognized and recorded. The study adds to the history of women's education and the role of women in Egypt's development. v Additionally, these women's reflections on the changes of women's roles provide insight into the opportunities and problems confronting Egyptian women relative to the worldwide women's movement.
Type	Text
Publisher	University of Utah
Subject	American college for girls (Cairo, Egypt); presbyterian church; missions Women; egypt; social conditions
Dissertation Name	Doctor of Philosophy
Language	eng
Rights Management	© Christine Sproul
Format	application/pdf
Format Medium	application/pdf
ARK	ark:/87278/s6bdkh5h
Setname	ir_etd
ID	2136754
Reference URL	https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6bdkh5h

Page Metadata

Title	Page 29
Format	application/pdf
Setname	ir_etd
ID	2136783
OCR Text	Show 19 of Muslim women. the Egyptian He the liberation movement saw nation and foster immorality as plot a and decadence in its soci- Likewise, Mustafa Kamil opposed the emancipation of ety. because he, too, saw it as a to weaken foreign design to women corrupt and weaken society.19 Some of thi dealing Arabic suspi ci on appears s with feminism. movement with and edited by hostility because were under suspicion that emancipation i dent ity women. the magazines overwhelming majority Syrian and Coptic editorship. are was an of these This fed the unpatriotic development, weakening .20 Indeed, the West was clamoring for political domination Middle Eastern territories, and Egypt several French and British different ways: Christian missionaries 19philipp, already fifteen were These »: Nationalist conservatives eyed this literary magazines nat i ona 1 1 i d if one looks at the press Before World War I there magazines founded documented in Table 1. va (1) by cultivating came over under Western influence in politics, (2) by Western education, (3) by the flow 279. Also see Judith Gran, "Impact of the World p Market on Egyptian Women," MERIP 58 (June 1977): 3-7. She argues that criticism or support of women's was based on social emancipation class and nationalist ideology. 20 . Phi 1 i P p, p. 280. Se e 1 Ij 1 a1 Kh ali fa h, a1 ha rak a a1 ala ard misr [The Modern Femi ni st t4ovement: The Story of the Arab Woman on the Land of Egypt] (Cairo: The Modern Arabic Press, 1973). This important histo ry of the women's movement has a detailed study of feminist journal ism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Also included are the biographies of the women who edited these magazines, many of whom were Syrian. It is interesting to note the history of 'Aishah al Taymuriya, a pioneer in woman's journalism. Her most famous article entitled "Reflections on the Affairs of Women" was published in 1887--before Qasim Amin's books. a so: nisa'iyat al-hadithah: Qisat al-mar'ah al-aribiya - -
Reference URL	https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6bdkh5h/2136783