Eugénie Le Brun also known as Madame Rushdi (died October 16, 1908) was a French-born early Egyptianfeminist intellectual, influential salon host, and close friend of Huda Sha'arawi.
Le Brun was born in France and raised in an upper-middle-class family. She was well educated and actively participated in elite French intellectual life. As the daughter of a middle-class family with little relative financial security, Le Brun's future place within society would be dictated completely by the position of her future husband.
Le Brun met a prominent Egyptian landowner, Husayn Rushdi Pasha during the latter's time in France. Rushdi was born in a wealthy family of Turkish descent in Cairo and sent abroad for education in Geneva and later France. Le Brun married Rushdi who would eventually become the Egyptian Prime Minister from 1914-1917. Upon Rushdi completing his education in France, Le Brun returned with him to Cairo in 1892 to fulfill a string of prominent positions within the colonial Egyptian government.
Feminism
After moving to Cairo and undertaking the required religious study, Le Brun converted to Islam.[1] She argued that through careful investigation of the Koran and contrary to popular western belief, Islam could be a liberalizing force and afforded women many important rights.[2] As such, she took an interest in Islamic justice for women and often attended Islamic court proceedings. The perceived abuses of women's marital rights that Le Brun witnessed in judge decisions would later be the main focus of her book, Harem et les Musulmanes.[3] She attempted to stress the distinction between Islam as a religion and the distortions that the corrupt religious establishments and powerful figures had introduced to it.[2]
Le Brun further argued that many Egyptian practices commonly attributed to Islam were actually just social conventions.[1] Specifically, she was of the opinion that (face) veiling and the seclusion of women were not required by Islam. Having experienced the harem lifestyle upon moving to Cairo, Le Brun believed western officials’ focus on ending the practice were misguided and instead was indicative of the larger social system on excluding upper-class women from the public sphere. In Harem et les Musulmanes, Le Brun argued that western policy mystifies what was simply the portion of the house where women and children conducted their daily lives…[women] negotiated places for themselves among the choices made available to them in ways tempered by their degree of access to resources and privileges.[4]
Le Brun believed the best way to negotiate the separation between the public and private sphere was through intellectual activities. As such, she hosted the leading weekly women's salon in her home in Egypt beginning in the mid 1890s.[5] While primarily focused on literary discourse, the salon topics frequently discussed intense political subjects. On one occasion, Le Brun remarked the topics ranged from feminism, cinematographe, the naiveté of Americans, the Boxer Rebellion, the interpretation of dreams, to Karl Marx.[6]
In addition to weekly salon gatherings, Le Brun also advocated for the education of women. She contended that while a woman’s first duty is to her family, she can perform this duty better if she is well-educated.[6] In Les Répudiées, Le Brun advocated for the need for education of poor women as well as the elites. Specifically, Le Brun studied the lives of women who serve as self-supporting heads of household due to the absence of the husband. After becoming widows or simply abandoned by their husbands, Le Brun found that most poor women did not have a social network to fall back on and must work instead. She argued that it was society's moral duty to provide all women with education.
Relationship with Huda Sha’arawi
Huda Sha`arawi. before removing her traditional apostolnik
Le Brun maintained a close friendship with Egyptianfeminist and nationalist leader Huda Sha'arawi.[7] Sha’arawi used to attend the salons hosted by Le Brun in the 1880s where social practices such as veiling were discussed. Le Brun convinced Sha'arawi that the veil stood in the way of Egyptian women's advancement and this led Sha'arawi's public unveiling later.[8] Sha’arawi also viewed Le Brun as an invaluable mentor with a long-lasting effect on her intellectual development and influenced by her that, after Le Brun's death in 1908, Sha’arawi wrote in her memoir: "I had come to rely heavily upon her good counsel but even after her death I felt her spirit light the way before me. When I was about to embark on something, I often paused to ask myself what she would think, and if I sensed her approval I would proceed".[9]
Books
Le Brun wrote many books and letters throughout her lifetime. The following two were published under the pseudonym "Mme. Rachid-Pacha Niya Salima" in Paris:
Rachid-Pacha Niya Salima (1902). Harem et les Musulmanes. F. Juven. ISBN0253313414.
Rachid-Pacha Niya Salima (1908). Les Repudiees. Société d'Edition et de Publications. OCLC 492718089.
^ abInternational Conference on Women's History (9 October 2012). Current Issues in Women's History. Routledge. ISBN978-0-415-62386-5.
^ abNupur Chaudhuri; Margaret Strobel (1 January 1992). Western Women and Imperialism: Complicity and Resistance. Indiana University Press. ISBN0-253-20705-3.
^Niya SALIMA (pseud. [i.e. H. Ruchdi Pacha.]) (1902). Harems et musulmanes d'Égypte. Lettres. Félix Juven.
^Amal Amireh; Lisa Suhair Majaj (2000). Going Global: The Transnational Reception of Third World Women Writers. Psychology Press. ISBN978-0-8153-3606-8.
^Margot Badran (1 April 1996). Feminists, Islam, and Nation: Gender and the Making of Modern Egypt. Princeton University Press. ISBN1-4008-2143-6.
^ abAhdaf Soueif (10 September 2012). The Map of Love. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN978-1-4088-3829-7.
^"International feminism and the women's movement in Egypt 1904-1923". Mediterraneas.org. 2004-12-02. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
^Hudá Shaʻrāwī (January 1987). Harem Years: The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist (1879-1924). Feminist Press at CUNY. ISBN978-0-935312-70-6.
External links
Current Issues in Women's History. International Conference on Women's History, 2012, p 161–165.
Western Women and Imperialism: Complicity and Resistance. Nupur Chaudhuri, 1992, p 37–56.
The Feminist Vision in the Writings of Three Turn-of-the-Century Egyptian Women. Margot Badran, 1988, p. 16-17.
Going Global: The Transnational Reception of Third World Women Writers. Amal Amireh, 2000, p 158–164.
Family History in the Middle East: Household, Property, and Gender. Beshara Doumani, 2003, p 92–95.
Early Reflections of an Historian on Feminism in Egypt in Time of Revolution. Lucia Sorbera, 2013, p 22.
The Map of Love. Ahdaf Soueif, 2011, p 236–238.
Harem Years: The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist. Huda Sha’arawi, trans. Margot Badran, 1987, p 87.
Book list on Worldcat
Further reading
Nupur Chaudhuri, Margaret Strobel (1992). Western Women and Imperialism: Complicity and Resistance. Indiana University Press. ISBN0253313414.
Beshara Doumani (2003). Family History in the Middle East: Household, Property, and Gender. State University of New York. ISBN0791456803.
Rula Quawas (2006). "A Sea Captain In Her Own Right: Navigating The Feminist Thought Of Huda Shaarawi". The Journal of International Women's Studies. Journal of International Women's Studies. ISSN 1539-8706.
January 13, 2023
eugénie, brun, also, known, madame, rushdi, died, october, 1908, french, born, early, egyptian, feminist, intellectual, influential, salon, host, close, friend, huda, arawi, contents, early, life, marriage, feminism, relationship, with, huda, arawi, books, als. Eugenie Le Brun also known as Madame Rushdi died October 16 1908 was a French born early Egyptian feminist intellectual influential salon host and close friend of Huda Sha arawi Eugenie Le Brun Contents 1 Early life and marriage 2 Feminism 3 Relationship with Huda Sha arawi 4 Books 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 Further readingEarly life and marriage EditLe Brun was born in France and raised in an upper middle class family She was well educated and actively participated in elite French intellectual life As the daughter of a middle class family with little relative financial security Le Brun s future place within society would be dictated completely by the position of her future husband Le Brun met a prominent Egyptian landowner Husayn Rushdi Pasha during the latter s time in France Rushdi was born in a wealthy family of Turkish descent in Cairo and sent abroad for education in Geneva and later France Le Brun married Rushdi who would eventually become the Egyptian Prime Minister from 1914 1917 Upon Rushdi completing his education in France Le Brun returned with him to Cairo in 1892 to fulfill a string of prominent positions within the colonial Egyptian government Feminism EditAfter moving to Cairo and undertaking the required religious study Le Brun converted to Islam 1 She argued that through careful investigation of the Koran and contrary to popular western belief Islam could be a liberalizing force and afforded women many important rights 2 As such she took an interest in Islamic justice for women and often attended Islamic court proceedings The perceived abuses of women s marital rights that Le Brun witnessed in judge decisions would later be the main focus of her book Harem et les Musulmanes 3 She attempted to stress the distinction between Islam as a religion and the distortions that the corrupt religious establishments and powerful figures had introduced to it 2 Le Brun further argued that many Egyptian practices commonly attributed to Islam were actually just social conventions 1 Specifically she was of the opinion that face veiling and the seclusion of women were not required by Islam Having experienced the harem lifestyle upon moving to Cairo Le Brun believed western officials focus on ending the practice were misguided and instead was indicative of the larger social system on excluding upper class women from the public sphere In Harem et les Musulmanes Le Brun argued that western policy mystifies what was simply the portion of the house where women and children conducted their daily lives women negotiated places for themselves among the choices made available to them in ways tempered by their degree of access to resources and privileges 4 Le Brun believed the best way to negotiate the separation between the public and private sphere was through intellectual activities As such she hosted the leading weekly women s salon in her home in Egypt beginning in the mid 1890s 5 While primarily focused on literary discourse the salon topics frequently discussed intense political subjects On one occasion Le Brun remarked the topics ranged from feminism cinematographe the naivete of Americans the Boxer Rebellion the interpretation of dreams to Karl Marx 6 In addition to weekly salon gatherings Le Brun also advocated for the education of women She contended that while a woman s first duty is to her family she can perform this duty better if she is well educated 6 In Les Repudiees Le Brun advocated for the need for education of poor women as well as the elites Specifically Le Brun studied the lives of women who serve as self supporting heads of household due to the absence of the husband After becoming widows or simply abandoned by their husbands Le Brun found that most poor women did not have a social network to fall back on and must work instead She argued that it was society s moral duty to provide all women with education Relationship with Huda Sha arawi Edit Huda Sha arawi before removing her traditional apostolnik Le Brun maintained a close friendship with Egyptian feminist and nationalist leader Huda Sha arawi 7 Sha arawi used to attend the salons hosted by Le Brun in the 1880s where social practices such as veiling were discussed Le Brun convinced Sha arawi that the veil stood in the way of Egyptian women s advancement and this led Sha arawi s public unveiling later 8 Sha arawi also viewed Le Brun as an invaluable mentor with a long lasting effect on her intellectual development and influenced by her that after Le Brun s death in 1908 Sha arawi wrote in her memoir I had come to rely heavily upon her good counsel but even after her death I felt her spirit light the way before me When I was about to embark on something I often paused to ask myself what she would think and if I sensed her approval I would proceed 9 Books EditLe Brun wrote many books and letters throughout her lifetime The following two were published under the pseudonym Mme Rachid Pacha Niya Salima in Paris Rachid Pacha Niya Salima 1902 Harem et les Musulmanes F Juven ISBN 0253313414 Rachid Pacha Niya Salima 1908 Les Repudiees Societe d Edition et de Publications OCLC 492718089 See also Edit Egypt portal Biography portal Feminism portalWomen s literary salons and societies in the Arab World List of women s rights activists Timeline of first women s suffrage in majority Muslim countries Timeline of women s rights other than voting Timeline of women s suffrageReferences Edit a b International Conference on Women s History 9 October 2012 Current Issues in Women s History Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 62386 5 a b Nupur Chaudhuri Margaret Strobel 1 January 1992 Western Women and Imperialism Complicity and Resistance Indiana University Press ISBN 0 253 20705 3 Niya SALIMA pseud i e H Ruchdi Pacha 1902 Harems et musulmanes d Egypte Lettres Felix Juven Amal Amireh Lisa Suhair Majaj 2000 Going Global The Transnational Reception of Third World Women Writers Psychology Press ISBN 978 0 8153 3606 8 Margot Badran 1 April 1996 Feminists Islam and Nation Gender and the Making of Modern Egypt Princeton University Press ISBN 1 4008 2143 6 a b Ahdaf Soueif 10 September 2012 The Map of Love Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978 1 4088 3829 7 International feminism and the women s movement in Egypt 1904 1923 Mediterraneas org 2004 12 02 Retrieved 2014 05 11 Huda Shaarawi Biography from Answers com Retrieved 2014 05 11 Huda Shaʻrawi January 1987 Harem Years The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist 1879 1924 Feminist Press at CUNY ISBN 978 0 935312 70 6 External links EditCurrent Issues in Women s History International Conference on Women s History 2012 p 161 165 Western Women and Imperialism Complicity and Resistance Nupur Chaudhuri 1992 p 37 56 The Feminist Vision in the Writings of Three Turn of the Century Egyptian Women Margot Badran 1988 p 16 17 Going Global The Transnational Reception of Third World Women Writers Amal Amireh 2000 p 158 164 Family History in the Middle East Household Property and Gender Beshara Doumani 2003 p 92 95 Early Reflections of an Historian on Feminism in Egypt in Time of Revolution Lucia Sorbera 2013 p 22 The Map of Love Ahdaf Soueif 2011 p 236 238 Harem Years The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist Huda Sha arawi trans Margot Badran 1987 p 87 Book list on WorldcatFurther reading EditNupur Chaudhuri Margaret Strobel 1992 Western Women and Imperialism Complicity and Resistance Indiana University Press ISBN 0253313414 Beshara Doumani 2003 Family History in the Middle East Household Property and Gender State University of New York ISBN 0791456803 Rula Quawas 2006 A Sea Captain In Her Own Right Navigating The Feminist Thought Of Huda Shaarawi The Journal of International Women s Studies Journal of International Women s Studies ISSN 1539 8706 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eugenie Le Brun amp oldid 1113759427, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
