The exhibition, titled ‘Princess Fawzia: The Duality of Egyptian Womanhood Through Western and Egyptian Eyes’ was inaugurated through a combined effort of the Rare Books and Special Collections Library at AUC and Jana Amin, a 10th grade Egyptian American whose passionate research showcases the portrayal of not only the princess but various royal women in national and international media.
The exhibit shows how Egyptian media portrayed Princess Fawzia as a model of modern Egyptian womanhood, spearheading health initiatives and charities that improved conditions for women, while international media portrayed her as merely a political pawn. The exhibit explores this contradiction through an in-depth study of official and media portrayals of Princess Fawzia, drawing on archival research conducted at the KEW National Archive in the United Kingdom and the AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library.
The exhibition closes with the later part of Princess Fawzia’s life, with her remarriage in 1949 to Ismail Cherine-Bey, an official in the Egyptian army and a good friend and advisor to her brother, King Farouk.
The exhibition really provides you an opportunity to look into your past, with having access to certain archival resources, gives you a chance to look at one of Egypt's last princesses.
On display at AUC’s campus in the Fifth of Settlement, the exhibition runs until October 31.