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Personally, I think that Qasim Amin provides one of the best and most incisive analyses of seclusion that I've ever read. Today, this is totally under-studied and largely ignored, so it was really striking to read such empathetic and poignant work.

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As loyal readers know, I'm a big fan of going back to the original sources, rather than relying on the secondary literature. These 6 Egyptian and Tunisian books are superbly insightful 👇👇👇👇

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“A generation ago a woman would have been disgraced had she left her husband’s house or been seen by a stranger. If we compare those times with today, without a doubt we find that these customs are on the wane" Qasim Amin, 1899 on ongoing reform in Egypt My new essay www.ggd.world/p/behind-bol...

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William Lane @williamjtlane.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

At the turn of the 20th century, Egyptian & Tunisian reformists condemned female seclusion. They provide hugely valuable insights on its causes and consequences. Reading their books in translation taught me a great deal. Here's my new essay: www.ggd.world/p/behind-bol...

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Reposted by Alice Evans

A fascinating piece, and it's also interesting to see examples of the Orientalisation (Occidentalisation?) of Europe by travellers from China, the Ottoman Empire, Morocco and others.

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Reposted by Alice Evans

"MEN ARE SLAVES TO THE WOMEN HERE!!" Fascinating to read Chinese, Turkish, Moroccan, Persian men's travelogues and diaries of Europe. I wager you will learn more from their accounts than many Western histories of the West!! www.ggd.world/p/men-are-sl...

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"Most people think think that women are not living in slavery, but in a state natural to them" Points if you can guess the nationality of the author. Double points if you know her name :-)

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English Harriet Martineau observations of America in 1840.

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English Harriet Martineau observations of America in 1840.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

QUIZ: WHAT COUNTRY IS BEING DESCRIBED HERE? (Virtual) prize to the winner 🏆

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Reposted by Alice Evans

New from me: What did Indian Women Make of Victorian England? Janakummah Ragaviah (from Madras) and Krishnabhabini Das (Bengal) travelled to England in the 1870s-80s, then published their observations. These books provide fascinating insights into the drivers of gender equality.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

In the 1920s, Parisian chic went viral on silent cinema, as fashionable women in London, L.A., Japan and Mexico City started sporting bob cuts and flapper dresses. Great example of prestige bias! But did you know about the patriarchal backlash...?

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The global spread of the "New Woman", from Denmark to Japan to Mexico over the 1920s, with Ibsen's play and a bob cut, was an early prequel to 21st century progressive feminist memes going viral on Instagram.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Her translations of the Iliad and Odyssey, as well as her introductions, were great. They were valuable modernizations, with incisive commentary about actually-existing patriarchy. For some reason, I'm not sure, there was a social media melt-down, which seemed totally detached from reality.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

What does the World Cup, and the history of football, teach us about the drivers of gender equality? My new essay - featuring Daron www.ggd.world/p/punishing-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

If you watched the World Cup final, you witnessed two things which are hugely important to the history of global gender relations: male coalitional violence and the rise of impartial institutions. My new essay is inspired by @dacemoglumit.bsky.social and FIFA! www.ggd.world/p/punishing-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The ‘Battle of Nuremberg’ (2006) saw four red cards and 16 yellow cards. Enforcing the rules appeared to provide a powerful deterrent. This hugely instructive for gender equality! It captures the importance of enforcing rules for fair play. My new essay is on punishing thuggery & cronyism 👇

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I asked fable to calculate fouls per team per match

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

If you go to a Western museum about any country's history, it will typically highlight 'kick-ass' women who were subversive, agentic and powerful. In fact, so much of human history as been shaped by violent & aggressive struggles by gangs of armed men, competing for status.

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Does Penelope have 'agency'? Some gender historians have presented Penelope as cunning and ‘agentic’. While Odysseus is away, his wife is hassled by suitors seeking her hand and his estate. Odysseus is then congratulated for having such a devout wife. But... www.ggd.world/p/what-does-...

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Reposted by Alice Evans

What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-... drawing on @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social's brilliant translation cc @economeager.bsky.social

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Reposted by Alice Evans

What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-...

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What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-...

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What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-... drawing on @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social's brilliant translation cc @economeager.bsky.social

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Reposted by Alice Evans

Throughout history, militarised male coalitions have slaughtered rivals & captured women. Elite women struggled to exert public influence because they often gained respect through submission and self-erasure. Patriarchs thus often operated a dual strategy: confining insiders, raping outsiders.

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Rome’s origin myth told of soldiers abducting Sabine virgins and making them mothers. This captures a universal truth: militarised patriarchs consolidated their dominance by confining insiders and raping outsiders www.ggd.world/p/confining-...

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Dalit women's oppression is often written about their experiences, struggles and agency. That's hugely important, but I think it's equally useful to understand the mechanisms that enable dominant- caste men's impunity 👇 www.ggd.world/p/confining-...

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