Maha El Said -Bio
Maha El Said is the Chair of the English Department, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. She has more than 22 years of experience teaching at Egyptian Universities with a special interest in American Studies. She was the first to write a book length dissertation on Arab American poetry in 1997. She has publications on Arab American writings, creative writing, popular culture, gender and the impact of new technologies on literature. Her latest book is Rethinking Gender in Revolutions and Resistance: Lessons From the Arab World (Zed Books 2015) addresses gender identities, gender relations and gender norms post Arab Spring.
Dr El Said has given several public lectures on American popular culture and its impact on Egyptian youth in places such as the United Nations Arabic Program, New York and “New Haven Arts and Ideas Festival” Yale 2002. She has been a Fulbright visiting scholar for the academic year 2003/2004 at UC Berkeley where she researched the development of the Spoken Word as a political expression.
She is the founder and excutive director of Cairo University Anti-Harassment and Violence Against Women Unit. The first of its kind in the Arab World. Due to her efforts and the multiple workshops she held with other universities, this model is now being replicated in 14 Egyptian Universities.
She is the deputy head of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Research and Evaluation Network, board member of NileTESOL, founding member of Madad (The Cultural Support Initiative), board member of Doum Cultural Institute, member of the advisory board of Forum for the Study of Popular Culture (FSPC).
In support of the Ministery of Education she co-othered several English Language textbooks and participated in the development of the National Standards for English Language and the National Curriclum Framework for English Language.
Dr. El Said has acted as a consultant for such organizations as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, USAID, Aguirre International, Creative Associates, EDC, IIE, AMIDEAST, EU, World Bank, KfW, Macmillan Publishing, University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British Council, the Ministry of Education, and others.