Introduction: in this roundtable we read and discuss two important feminist voices from turn-of-the-century Egypt, on the subject of veiling and unveiling. We read these texts in English translation to understand feminist views supporting and opposing the veil at a time when Egypt was undergoing tremendous economic, social, and political changes, and in particular, at a time when the issues of identity and authenticity vis-à-vis modernity and progress were being discussed in intellectual and political circles.

It is facilitated by Dr. Ebtihal Mahadeen, Edinburgh University and Raad Khair Allah, University of Warwick