CopticWomen - Orthodox Coptic Women: Identity, Memories, and Representations of a Religious and Gender Group

Contemporary theorizations on the role of women in the Coptic Orthodox Church follow two prevalent narratives: one emphasizing the “wife-mother” archetype as the guardian of family spirituality, and the other idealizing women as “holy-virgins”. These narratives, rooted in institutional and public discourses and based on the idea of a woman considered “virtuous” only if she fits into one of these categories, has been challenged through migration. This paper aims to analyze the role and positioning of Coptic women within their communities outside of Egypt, with specific reference to their identities, memories, and representations and in relation to the discourses produced by the Church and Coptic intellectuals; this is to ascertain how the identity of Coptic women abroad has been renegotiated, in terms of memories and representations, the impact with a society with cultural references different from those of Egypt, and in relation to the new generations born and raised abroad.