Gender Relations in Racialized Ghagar Communities of Egypt

Abstract This article reflects on gender relations among Egyptian Dom/Ghagar. It is based on an examination of the representations of Dom women by European Orientalists in Egyptian movies, Egyptian media, and ethnographic research among Dom communities in Egypt, particularly narratives describing marital practices: bride price, divorce, polygyny, and early marriage. The article confronts the discourse of Ghagar and non-Ghagar about the position of women within Ghagar communities. It hypothesizes that representations of gender specificities among Ghagar communities may be concomitantly anchored in real practices, in perceptions of difference among their practices by members of Ghagar communities, and in external discourse. Egyptian media tend to project an image of the Ghagar as a society in which women are more powerful than men—which has a negative connotation. The article asks if those perceptions and interactions have helped create a dimension of Ghagar identity.