Yale Egyptology Lecture Series - Lecture 5

April 20th, 2022 (12:00 ET)

   

 

Mariam Ayad

(American University in Cairo)

 

Title: Women’s Rhetoric in Coptic Personal Letters

 

Abstract:

his presentation highlights some aspects of the rhetoric of women as seen in personal letters written in Coptic, primarily dating to the 6th-8th centuries AD.  The women who dictated or wrote those letters, expressed themselves in a variety of ways. Some were supplicants asking for help or pleading their cases. Others were more assertive, demanding the resolution of a business dispute or the delivery of items such as grain, wine, shawls, and even books! The rhetoric of these women as expressed in their letters stands in stark contrast to how women are represented in the predominantly religious Coptic literary works (broadly defined as non-documentary texts). My presentation will touch upon some of those differences and will highlight some of the rhetorical strategies used by these women to further their causes.

 

Registration link: https://yale.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i9Yg_mrDTwmeRSQy1n3Xcg

 

Poster: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ceBOKFEks64OGuzTsxvFXmWcsbZ3Uio_/view?usp=sharing