Maya El-Helou is currently a PhD student at the Socio-Cultural Anthropology and the collaborative program of Gender and Women Studies at the University of Toronto. In 2015 she was awarded the Magda Al-Nowaihi graduate student award In gender studies from the American University in Cairo where she got her Master’s degree. Her current work investigates uprisings and revolutionary moments in relation to queer and feminist organizing and social movements. She is also interested in exploring the impact of those movements on urban settings and shaping cities. In addition to her academic endeavors, Maya is a feminist activist and comic artist who explores using art and humour as a medium to communicate complex feminist theories to the public. In her contributions as an academic, artist and activist she tries to bridge academia and activism in her home country Lebanon and the wider MENA region focusing on issues of gender, sexuality, theory and creative knowledge production.

Anthropology

Arabic

Gender/Women's Studies

Pop Culture

Queer/LGBT Studies

Arabic (advanced)

English (advanced)