In this paper, I would like to explore the new ways of perceiving Papyri und Papyrology i.e. papyrological studies from Egyptian-Arabic perspectives. The paper will shed light on three main and, from my point of view, intertwined ways of thinking about this discipline that has been newly of importance just because of the new media. First, one should consider the question of legal status of papyri presented online, including their provenance, and the Egyptian (legal) point of view in this regard. Most, if not all, the available, papyri databases, which presents papyri online, suffice themselves with just a note about the purchase of a certain piece from unknown Egyptian, sometime known and famous like M. Nahman, without any indication about on which government, circumstances, regulations und laws this “supposedly” legal purchase has been conducted. I would suggest putting up a Wikipedia link or any other mean to give the “Egyptian” Science citizen, a further reading lists and short justifications about the transportation of this artefact from his country to Europe or the United States, where most of the papyri, presented in the moment online, are kept. Second, The provenance of the same pieces are in many cases given either with transliterated names that doesn’t exist on Arabic modern maps which one find through e.g. Google or with names that mix the archeological site with its nearby village or town. A similar database, in cooperation and with the help of with the Egyptian Universities’ students of Archeology, would solve this problem. Such links would also serve as a start for more specialized research that connects Archeology and Papyri with modern as well as recent Egyptian History. Third, an Arabic translation of the Papyri presented online, again with the help of Egyptian students of History, Classics and Archeology departments, would be a basis for more further analysis of these texts, whether they are written in Egyptian (with all its script) Greek, Latin or Coptic. These are some chances, which may seem easier to achieve, thanks to the new digital media, especially the social ones, but the challenges that would face any implementation of the above-mentioned idea in the current Egyptian academia are tremendous. This include but not limited to financial and legal matters that control the education system in Egypt.

The Secret Doctrine is the magnum opus of H.P. Blavatsky and one of the foundation texts of the Theosophical Society. It represents her attempt to appropriate authority in a wide variety of fields, including, science, religion, and philosophy. This study examines H.P. Blavatsky’s engagement with Ancient Egypt in relation to two specific themes, the constitution of the individual and the afterlife, as they are portrayed in this work. It locates Theosophy in its historical context, the late nineteenth century, in relation to various fields of knowledge. It reviews the sources that H.P. Blavatsky drew on in her work and discusses the various interpretive techniques she employed to insert Theosophical content into various world religions. Finally, it contrasts the Theosophical presentation of Ancient Egypt in The Secret Doctrine with that of mainstream modern Egyptology. The fundamental disconnect which is revealed highlights the challenges that the Theosophical perspective faces. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M. A. (Religious Studies)

This thesis focuses on documentaries by North African women, who have been marginalised within the limited space of the field of African filmmaking. I illustrate how North African cinema has suffered from neglect in studies on African as well as Arab culture and particularly African and Arab cinema. I discuss the work of four pioneering women documentary makers in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Consecutively I will discuss Ateyyat El Abnoudy, Selma Baccar, Assia Djebar and Izza Génini’s work. My approach is transnational and Bakhtinian in the sense that I am an outsider looking in. I promote a constant self-awareness as a Western European and an academic interested in the area that is defined as the Middle East. Like the documentary makers, I take the nation state as a starting point so as to understand its effects, in order to be able to critique it and place the films in a transnational context. The documentaries in this thesis illustrate that films of a socio-political nature contest the notion of a singular national identity and can become a means of self-definition. Asserting one’s own cultural and national identity, and subjectively offering the spectator an individual’s interpretation of that self-definition, is a way towards female emancipation. Going against the grain and avoiding stereotypes, evading censorship and dependence on state control, these directors find ways to give a different dimension to their identity. Analysing the work of these four pioneering filmmakers, I uncover diverse female subject matters treated by a similar aesthetic. I argue that through overlooked cinematic techniques, they succeed in subverting the censor and communicating a subtle but convincing critique of the patriarchal system in their respective countries. Their preoccupation with representing ‘the other half’ puts a new and under-explored spin on perceptions of anti-establishment filming with subtly emancipating consequences. I suggest that their common aesthetic is one that develops moderation in terms of context, content and style. There is a cinematic way of implicitly subverting not only the (colonial) past but also the (neo-colonial) present which goes further than re-inscription or compensation: new modes of resistance co-exist with the more rebellious and heroic ones. These women’s films rewrite, imply and contemplate rather than denounce and attack heroically. They do not reject as much as interrogate their situations, counting on the empathic and intersubjective abilities of the spectator. A relationship of trust between director, subject and spectator is crucial if we want to believe in the subalterns’ aptitude for voicing issues and gazing back. I reveal a different approach to communication beyond the verbal, and a belief in the subjects’ capacities to speak and listen. This is echoed in the filmmaker’s sensitive analysis of the subjects’ expression and voice and the non-vocal expression – the gaze. The intended outcome is dependent on the willingness of the spectator to take part in the intersubjective communication triangle. I conclude with the idea that moderation is the foundational concept of a post-Third Cinema transnational aesthetic in North Africa. Ateyyat El Abnoudy, Selma Baccar, Assia Djebar and Izza Génini are pioneers of women’s filmmaking in North Africa, who opened up a space for underrepresented subjects, voices and gazes.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a global health problem and a national health problem in Egypt. There is a lack of literature on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and symptoms experience of liver disease and cirrhotic patients in Middle East, particularly in Egypt. Aims: This PhD had three major aims: First aim: To describe HRQOL of Egyptian liver cirrhotic patients and to identify and evaluate the factors associated with (HRQOL) physical and mental health domains. Second aim: To explore and describe experienced symptoms (prevalence, severity and hindrance) in Egyptian cirrhotic patients and to identify and evaluate factors associated with symptoms severity and symptoms hindrance (distress). Third aim: To explore and describe how cirrhotic patients in Egypt perceive social support from spouse, family and friends and to identify and evaluate factors associated with general perceived social support. Method: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 401 patients from three hospitals in Cairo, Egypt, was conducted between June and August 2011. Patients were interviewed to complete a background data sheet, Short Form-36v2 (SF-36), the Liver Disease Symptom Index (LDSI)-2.0 and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: Findings for first aim: The findings showed that all domains and component summary scores [Physical component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS)] of the generic SF-36 were below the norm (cut-off score 50), suggesting that patients with liver cirrhosis in Egypt have poor HRQOL. About 87.2% of the patients rated their general health as poor or fair, which means the majority of these patients have low perceived general health. Many socio-demographic and medial factors were shown to be significantly associated with perceived HRQOL. Women, illiterate and unemployed people, and patients with frequent hospitalisation had poor PCS and MCS, while patients with advanced disease stage, increasing number of comorbidities and complications and those admitted to inpatients had significantly poorer PCS only. Perceived social support from a spouse had a statistically significant positive association with PCS and MCS, while perceived social support from family and friends had a statistically significant positive association with MCS only. Also, severity and hindrance of symptoms significantly correlated with PCS and MCS. Using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, two models were developed to identify factors associated with PCS (Model 1) and MCS (Model 2) health. Model 1 could significantly explain 19% of the variation in PCS (R2 = 0.190, R2adj = 0.180, p = 0.0005), and four factors (symptoms severity, disease stage, comorbidities and employment status) were significantly (p ≤ 0.02) associated with PCS. Model 2 could significantly explain 31.7% of the variation in MCS (R2 = 0.317, R2adj = 0.308, p = 0.0005), and four factors (symptoms severity, employment status, perceived spouse support and perceived family support) were associated (p ≤ 0.04) with MCS. The key findings of this study were that severity of symptoms and social support from spouse and family were associated with HRQOL. Where patients with high symptoms severity were likely to report poor PCS and MCS; and patients with low perceived social support were likely to report poor MCS. Symptoms severity contributed significantly in explaining 28.7% of the variation in PCS and 43.6% of the variation in MCS. Findings for second aim: This study found that the majority of patients had one or more of a wide range of symptoms and social problems. Two-thirds of patients reported joint pain (78.3%), decreased appetite (75.6%) and memory problems (77.3%). Joint pain and depression were reported to have the biggest impact on daily life. Symptoms severity and distress were significantly higher among patients who were: female, illiterate, unemployed, and who had advanced cirrhosis with more complications and comorbidities (p ≤ 0.006). Symptoms severity (r=-0.206) and symptoms distress (r=-0.205) were negatively associated with perceived social support (p=0.005). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the regression model could significantly explain 19.6% of the variation in symptoms severity (R2 = 0.196, R2adj = 0.180, p = 0.0005), and 14% of the variation in hindrance of symptoms (R2 = 0.140, R2adj = 0.132, p = 0.0005). Being female, having an increasing number of liver disease complications, and having low perceived support from spouse were significantly associated with high-perceived symptoms severity and hindrance (p≤0.01). Findings for third aim: This study found that social support score was relatively high among patients with cirrhosis in Egypt (total score mean of MSPSS was 2.02± standard deviation (0.537), while perceived support from spouse was the highest source of support. 67.5% of the patients felt their spouse is around when they need him/her and 71.7% of them share their joys and sorrows with their spouse. Likewise, 64.9% of married people feel their spouse cares about their feelings. In relation to the perception of adequacy of family support, it was observed that 52.6% felt that their families do not really try to help them. At the same time, 52.1% reported that they got the emotional help and support that they needed from their families. Regarding perceived support from friends, more than half of the patients reported that their friends do not really try to help them (57.9%), they cannot count on their friends when things go wrong (65.6%) and they cannot talk about their problems with their friends (56.4%). There was a significantly positive association between the perception of social support and general health perception (GHP), suggesting that when social support decreases GHP also decreases or and vice versa (r= 0.208, p = 0.0005). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the regression model could significantly explain 10.9% of the variation in perceived social support (R2 = 0.109, R2adj = 0.100, p = 0.0005). Marital status, gender, age and employment status were significantly associated with general perceived social support (p ≤ 0.01), while unmarried, females, unemployed and elderly cirrhotic patients were vulnerable groups that were likely to perceive low social support. Overall discussion and conclusion: This is the first study to investigate HRQOL, symptoms experience and perceived social support in patients with liver cirrhosis in Egypt. All aspects of HRQOL of Egyptian cirrhotic patients were poor, and they were experiencing various symptoms that can affect their daily life. However, social support was found to be related to perceived symptoms severity and perceived poor mental health. Hence, social support may alleviate suffering for certain cirrhotic patients. Nurses have a responsibility to assess and treat symptoms that cirrhotic patients experience, particularly such treatable symptoms as depression, pain and decreased appetite. Also, nurses should involve the patient’s family in any plan of care. Future intervention studies that aim to develop programs to relieve treatable symptoms and enhance social support are also recommended.

When France rejected to join the Great Britain in military intervention in Egypt in 1882, the British decided to put down the policy of dual control in Egypt. This decision influenced the mutual relations of both countries for more than twenty years. The aim of this thesis was to analyse the attitude of France towards the British presence in Egypt. Thesis deals with development of the mutual British-French relations from 1882 to 1904 with regard to their interests in Egypt and Upper Nile valley. Through the signature of the Entente cordiale on April 8, 1904 France and Great Britain settled their colonial disputes and started the mutual cooperation, which inaugurated the formation of the blocks which clashed in the First World War in 1914.

The thesis seeks to explain the sexual passages of women related to fertility, such as menstruation, pregnancy and birth, in the ancient Egyptian world. The passages related to fertility have strong connotations with death in the Egyptian mythological context. The aim of the thesis is to understand this relationship, often metaphorically conveyed in iconography or in the netherworld literature. The thesis collects material from various sources, archeological, textual, iconographical, not only Egyptian, but also Greek and Roman. The methods used vary from cognitive linguistics and semiotic analysis to religious anthropology. Menstruation, pregnancy and birth in ancient Egypt are explained not only on the level of the understanding of the body of the Egyptians, but also in terms of what role they play in iconography and mythology. Furthermore, the relationship between birth and death is made with regards to fertility. The basic findings of this thesis consist of illustrating a dichotomy between the feminine nurturing principle of and masculine creative principle which appear in different contexts related to birth and death: in iconography, on the level of bodily fluids, or in mythological creation.

The aim of the present thesis is translation, detailed analysis and interpretation of the Coffin Texts of the Late-period tomb of Iufaa at Abusir. The corpus of these texts is unique, because except for a few text sequences, which were common in the Late Period, there are texts that are not preserved elsewhere in the Late Period and sometimes only exist in highly fragmentary Middle Kingdom versions. The Coffin Texts found on Iufaa's outer sarcophagus and on the walls of his burial chamber consist only of such uncommon texts. Some of these are also placed on the inner sarcophagus, whereall theremaining Coffin Texts spells are also located. The thesis presents a translation and analysis of the individual texts, focusing on their development, tradition and changes between the Middle Kingdom and the Late Period, including commentaries on grammar and language use as well as on the content. Iufaa's versions of these texts significantly contribute to our understanding and interpretation of some Coffin Texts spells and present a wider view on Egyptian religious texts and their interpretation, as well as on the textual transmission and work of Egyptian priests and scribes themselves.

This study examines the nature and patterns of Soviet cultural activities in Egypt and Syria, the motivations behind those activities, and the contribution of the Soviet cultural effort toward the attainment of overall Soviet Middle East policies. Chapter I provides background information on Soviet-Arab relations, and in Chapter II Soviet objectives in the Middle East are examined. Chapter III identifies the important components of the Soviet cultural instrument in Egypt and Syria. Chapter IV assesses the contribution made by the cultural tool toward the attainment of Soviet objectives in Egypt and Syria. Finally, Chapter V demonstrates that the Soviet cultural enterprise exerted little impact on overall Soviet policy in the Middle East.

Univ., Diss.--Würzburg, 2002.

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